
Class ZB X 5'/3^ 
Cop^ 3. 



SERMONS. 



BY THE 

KE\ . .). W. CUNNINGHAM, A. M. 

VICAR OF harrow; 

'iHESTIC CH/» PLAIN TO THE RIGHT HOW. LORD NORTH WICK : AM 
^; VTI?FELLQW OF ST. JOHNS COLLEGE, CAMERIPr.F 



NEW- YORK : 

!'l r<T.ISHF.D BY W. B. GILLEY, BROADWA V 

1823. 







TO THE 

INHABITANTS OF HARROW ON THE HILL 
8rftr jFoUoloinfl Sermons, 

ORIGINALLY PREACHED IN THEIR PRESENCE, 

1VITH A DEEP SENSE OF THE KINDNESS WITH WHICH THEY HAVE 
BEEN RECEIVED, 

HfTMBLY AND AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED, 

BY THEIR GRATEFUL 

AND SINCERE FRIEND, 

THE AUTHOR 



0- 



A 



.^^'^ 



,\^ 



r 



PREFACE 



The Author of the following Discou 
not the presumption to imagine, that by pub- 
lishing them he is likely to shed any new light 
over the difficiilties of Theology, or to urge with 
greater force those arguments which l.ave em- 
ployed the mind of many wise and devout indi- 
viduals. But he has been led to this undertak- 
partly by perceiving the generai^ thirst f^ . 
' tes ol pUDUcation — pafuj bv Jii: ordrnt 
fere he is called to his great account, 
lo Mcqucaiii to his iamiiy, hi» parisD, and his 
friends, some slight memorial of his interest in 
their temporal and spiritual welfare ; and some 
less fugitive record, than a mere address from 
the pulpit, of the principles in which he has 
found, through the great mercy of God bis own 
consolation and joy. 

Perhaps, however, the wish he had iov oiiu 
time entertained, of endeavouring to pv a 

volume of Sermons for the press, might 
been realized, if he h^ ^ ' "^ '' '^ 




Vlli 



during a season of corup i '^tire retirem<:;iM 
iabouriiig to withdraw the mitA from mourau > 
contemplations by occupying it with useful pur- 
^^oits. And he hopes to be pardoned for so f • 
intruding the facts of his own history on the at- 
tention of others, as to state, tha^. he has never 
felt his trials so little as when thas striving to 
minister to the wants of a suffering world — as 
when, having nothing but a "mite" to offer, he 
has bet n endeavouring to cast that mite into the 
" treasury" of God. 

Ahnost the whole of the Sermons in this vo- 
lume have been preached within the last two 
years, ip the pulpit of that parish which Divine 
PfovicNM ce has committed to bis care. The 
circum imces of so large a proportion of the 
ieiLiii of iiPi^e Discourses i>eiJig taken from few 
limited porlions of tlio Holy Scriptures, ciiise« 
from their having been parts of courses of Ser- 
mons preached upon those particular portions 
of the word of God> To this mode of preaching 
the Author is strongly disposed, as having a ten- 
dency to economize the timejotherwise consum- 
ed in the selection of texts and topics ; as pre- 
entingto the hearers large and unbroken masses 
f)i the Book of God; as securing the preacher 
from c? T irtial distribution of the word of life, 
• - -rly f ^se passages which might 



PREFACE. ^'v 

chance to suit the peculiarities of his own • - > 
logical creed- 

As to the doctrines contained in this volui ae, it 
is the humble hope of the Author that thej arp 
not the mere dogmas of any human school ■'■ 
writer, but the faithful transcripts of Script uie, 
and of those formularies of his own Ch'irch, 
which he believes in his conscience to he the 
least imperfect of all human documents on reli- 
gion. 

As to the manner in which these Sermons are 

executed, he will only say, that, as they have 
cost him far more labour than he had anticipat- 
ed, so he has been much disappointed in the 
success of his endeavours to fit them fo' the 
public eye. It is probable that accurate and ex- 
tensive readers in divinity will discover, noi on- 
ly great deficiencies in this volume, but also 
that, for the few really important thoughts v hich 
it may contain, the Author is chiefly inde->ted 
to older and abler writers. Instead, how 
of endeavouring to repel this imputation, | r to 
specify these particular thoughts, and restore 
them to their real proprietors — a task which 
would probably be fruitless — he begs once for 
all to state, that, anxious mainly, as he hopes, to 
do good, he has never hesitated to draw freely 
upon the resources of others, in order to supply 
his own great defects. He would therefore ?< a. 
b 



X PREFACE. 

those, who may honour these Discourses with 
their perusal, to consider, with regard both to 
the reasonings and expressions, not so much 
whose they are, as what they are ; and that, whilst 
they freely impute all that is faulty to the Author, 
they will ascribe all that is really valuable to 
the V isdomand teaching of //m with whom it is 
impossible to err. 

He has only, in conclusion, to thank his par- 
ishioners, and especially that distinguished pub- 
lic Institution which constitutes so prominent 
a part of them, for the forbearance and kindness 
witli which they have so long listened to his 
pulpit addresses — to assure them and the pub- 
lic, that they are not likely to be more sensible 
than himself of the defects of this volume and 
10 implore that the sacred influences of the Holy 
Spirit may supply all these deficiencies, and 
shed an abundant blessing upon every member 
of the great family of God. — It is the intention 
of the Author of this volume, should it prove ac- 
c* p»able to the public, so far to confide in their 
kindness, as to endeavour, before long, to pre- 

V them with another. 



CONTENTS. 



SERMON I. 

7%c guilt' and causes ofindicision in religion, 
1 Kings xviii. 21.— How long halt ye between two 

opinions?.. -- page 17 

SERMON II. 

On the right reception of the Word of God. 
James i. 21. — Receive with meekness the engrafted 

word, which ijfr able to save your souls -- 32 

SERMON III. 

The necessity of divine injlucuce in the study and use of 
Holy Scripture. 

1 CoR. xii. 3. — No man can say that Jesus is the Lord 

but by the Holy Ghost 49 

SERMON IV. 

The necessity of divine influence in the sanetijication of the 
heart and conduct. 

Ephes. v. 9. — The fruit of the Spirit is in all good- 
ness, and righteousness, and truth 64 

SERMON V. 

Life a Race. 
Heb. xii. 1, 2. — Wherefore, seeing we also are com- 
passed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let 
us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth 
so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the 
race that is set before us ; looking unto Jesus, the 
Author and Finisher of our faith page 78 



SERMON VI. 

The besetting Sin> 
Heb. xii. 1.- ■■ — - The sin which doth so easily be- 
set us 96 

SERMON Vn. 

Looking unto Jesus. 
Heb. xii. 2 — 4 — Looking unto Jesus, the Author and 
Finisher of our faith ; who, for the joy that was set 
before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, 
and is set ^own at the right hand of the throne of 
God. For, consider him that endured such contra- 
diction of sinners against himself, le?t ye be weari- 
ed and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resist- 
ed unto blood, striving against sin - lis 

SERMON VIII. 

The inioard Testimony of the Servant of God. 
1 John y. lOv — He that believeth on the Soii of God hath 

the witness in himself - 128 

SERMON IX. 

The Church of Ephesus — on Decay in Religion. 
Rev. ii. 1 — 7. — Unto the angel of the church of Ephe- 
sus write ; These things saith he that holdeth the 
seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the 
midst of the seven golden candlesticks ; I know thy 
works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how 
thou canst not bear them which are evil : and thou 
hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are 
not, and hast found them liars : And hast borne, and 
hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labour- 
ed, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have some- 
what against thee, because thou hast left thy first 
love. Remember therefore from whence thou art 
fallen ; and repent, and do the first works ; or else 
I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy 
candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the 
Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath aB 



CONTENTS. Xiil 

ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches ; To him that overcoraeth will I give to 
eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the 
paradise of God 143 

SERMON X. 

Tlie Church of Smyrna — on Constancy in Religion, 
Rev. ii. 8 — 11. — And unto the angel of the church in 
Smyrna write ; These things saith the First and 
the Last, which was dead, and is alive j I know thy 
works, and trihulation, and poverty (but Ihou art 
rich ;) and I know the blasphemy of them which 
say they are Jews, and are not, but are the syna- 
gogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which 
thou shalt suffer : behold, the devil shall cast some 
of you into prison, that ye may be tried : and y^ 
shall have tribulation ten days : be thou faithful 
unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He 
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith 
unto the churches ; He that overcomelh shall not 
be hurt of the second death 159 

SERMON XI. 

HJpistte to the Church at Pergamos — on Antinomianism 
Kev. ii. 12 — 17. — And to the angel of the church in Per-^ 
gamos write ; These things saith he which hath the 
sharp sword with two edges ; I know thy works, 
and where thou dwellest, even- where Satan's seat 
is : and thou boldest fast my name, and hast not 
denied my faith, even in those days wherein Anti- ' 
^ pas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among 
you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few 
things against thee, because thou hast there them 
that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak 
to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Is- 
rael, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to com- 
mit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold 
the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 
Repent ; or else I will come unto thee quickly, 
and will fight against thee with the sword of my 
mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
the Spirit saith unto the churches ; To him that 
overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, 



H^Y CONTENTS. 

and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a 
new name written, which no man knoweth saving 
he that receiveth it ., page 1 75 

SERMON XII. 

The Church of Sardis — nominal Religion. 
Rev. iii. 1 — 6. — And unto the angel of the church in 
Sardis, write ; These things saith he that hath the 
seven spirits of God, and the seven stars ; I know 
thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, 
and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the 
things which remain, that are ready to die ; for I 
have not found thy works perfect before God. Re- 
member, therefore, how thou hast received and 
heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou 
shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and 
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon 
thee. Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, 
which have not defiled their garments ; and they 
shall walk with me in white : for they are worthy. 
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in 
white raiment ; and I will not blot his name out of 
the book of life, but I will confess his name before 
my Father, and before his angels- He that hath 
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith uuio the 
Cyhurches 18? 

SERMON XIU. 

, The Mansion prepared for the true Christian. 
John xiv. 2, 3. — In my Father's house are many man- 
sions : if it were not so I would have told you. I 
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and 
prepare a place for you, I will come again and re- 
ceive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye 
may be also 202 

SERMON XIV. 

The Book of Job. 
Job xlii. 5, 6. — I have heard of thee by the hearing of 
the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee : wherefore 
I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes — - 21 £ 



SERMON XV. 

The Penitent returning to God. 
HosEA xiv. 1 — 3. — O Israel, return unto the Lord thy 
God ; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take 
with you words, and turn to the Lord : say unto 
him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us gra- 
ciously : so will we render the calves of our lips. 
Asshur shall not save us ; we will not ride upon 
horses : neither will we say any more to the work 
of our hands, Ye are our gods j for in thee the fa- 
therless findeth mercy page 229 

SERMON XVI. 

Our Earthly and our Heavenly Father Contrasted. 
Heb. xii. 9, 10.— Furthermore, we have had fathers of 
our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them re- 
verence ; shall we not much rather be in subjec- 
tion to the Father of spirits, and live ? For they 
verily for a few days chastened us after their own 
pleasure, but He for our profit, that we might be 
partakers of his holiness - --_ 246 

SERMON XVIL 

The testimonies of God the joy of the heart. 
PsAL. cxix. 111. — Thy testimonies have 1 claimed as 
mine heritage for ever : and why ? they are the ve- 
ry joy of my heart - 261 

SERMON XVIIL 

The Christian encouraged under affliction by a consideration of 
its final consequences. 

Heb. xii. 11 — 13. — Now no chastening for the present 
seemeth to be joyous, but grievous : nevertheless 
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable Iruit of right- 
eousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 
Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and 
the feeble knees : and make straight paths for your 
feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the 
way : but let it rather be healed . . , .,..,, 275 



SERMON XIX. 

The Christian not a servant^ hut a Son. 
GrAL. iv. 7.— Therefore thou art not a servant, but a 

son ----^ -' page 290 

SERMON XX. 

The pursuit of peace the duty of a Christian. 
HEBkXii. 14. — Follow peace with all men >--- ?0'i 

SERMON XXIr 

2%e privileges of the true Christian. 
Heb. xii. 22 — 24. — But ye are come ynto Mount Sion, 
and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly 
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of an?- 
gels, to the general assembly and church of the 
first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God 
the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made 
perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new cove- 
nant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh 
better things than that of Abel i .S21 

SERMON XXII. 

The love of an unseen Saviour. 
1 Peter i. 8, 9. — Whom having not seen ye love ; in 
whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, 
ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory ; 
receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation 
of your; souls --- 337 

SERMON XXIIL 

The conflict and the triumph of the Christian. 
Rev. iii. 12. — Him that overcometh will I make a pillar 
in the temple of my God ; and he shall go no more 
out ; and I will write upon him the name of my 
God, and the name of the city of my God, which 
is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of hea- 
ven from my God : and I will write upon him my 
new name ,,,.., , . , - 35 J 



SERMON I. 



THE GUILT AND CAUSES OF INDECISION IN 
RELIGION, 



1 KINGS xviii. 21. 
How long halt ye between two opinions ? 

Society is by no means to be considered as 
made up of the two classes, one of which cor- 
dially welcomes, and the other utterly rejects, 
the Gospel. There are several large bodies of 
individuals who occupy a sort of middle ground 
between the opposite extremes of faith and in- 
fidelity, of devotion and worldliness. Of these 
classes, perhaps the most numerous is what may 
be termed the undecided. Like the individuals 
reproved by the prophet in the text, they "halt 
between two opinions." Doubts and uncertainty 
hang over all their principles and actions. Sus- 
pended, as it were, between two worlds, they 
decide for neither; and live on, wavering and 
questioning, till perhaps death surprises them, 
and dismisses them to the region of everlasting 
and unspeakable misery. 

It is chiefly to persons in this sate of indecision 
as to their religious principles and conduct, I 
would wish to address myself to-day ; and, in 
dependence upon the divine blessing, io point 
out to them, 

C 



18 SERMON I. 

I. The necessity of coming to a decision in 

religion; 

II. Some of the causes which prevent men 

FROM thus coming TO A DECISION. 

And may it please Almighty God to bless our 
labours in pursuing these important inquiries ! 

I. In the first place, we are to inquire into 

the NECESSITY OF COMING TO A DECISION IN RELIGION. 

1. To this end consider, the circumstances of 
every fallen creature. — If, indeed, any security 
were granted for the endurance of life, indeci- 
sion, for a season at least, might be less irration- 
al. But that creatures, whom a breath speaks 
into existence, and another breath consigns to 
the dust — creatures standing on the very verge 
of heaven or hell — should procrastinate their 
decision, should continue to hesitate, when an 
hour may deprive them of all further power of 
choice, and carry them beyond the reach of re- 
pentance and mercy, is most affecting and awful. 
What would be said of the individual who, if 
his worldly circumstances were thus critical 
and solemn, should trifle with the danger, laugh 
at his advisers, and slumber on without adopt- 
ing any means to avoid or avert the impending 
ruin ? Should we not charge him with an in- 
fatuation almost amounting to madness } Is the 
conduct of those less unreasonable who are 
trifling and indecisive in the great and para- 
mount concerns of eternity ? Have we not a right 
to expect at least the same vigilance and se- 
riousness here, which we exact in the affairs 
of the present life ? Is not the indecision which 
respects the everlasting condition of our souls.. 
of all others the most preposterous and awful ? 



ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 19 

Is it not, indeed, enough to rend the heart of every 
real friend to his species, to think of an immor- 
tal being, to whom perhaps only a few moments 
are assigned for determining on the means of 
escape from irremediable perdition, and of se- 
curing endless happiness, sporting with all these 
momentous realities, and lavishing his time and 
affections upon the trifles, the follies, and the 
vices of a perishing world ? I would most so- 
lemnly call upon such persons to " awake, and 
arise, that Christ may give them light," before the 
shades of ruin shut upon them for ever. 

2. But, secondly, consider the misery of a state 
of indecision, even in the present stage of being, — 
It is not my intention to deny that a man may, for 
a time, contrive to drown reflection in intempe- 
rance, or banish it by dissipation, or stifle it 
amidst the occupations of business ; that he may 
not, for a season, even find a sort of satisfac- 
tion in pursuing the splendid vanities which 
cross his path, and still more in exerting himself 
usefully for the temporal good of society, with- 
out any regard to the will of God. But such 
happiness is the mere meteor of the moment. 
Affliction, or pain, or disappointment in our 
worldly objects, almost instantly disperses it. 
And suppose only a single ray of real light to 
break in upon the mind, and the voice of incon- 
sideration or folly to be silenced : Suppose the 
conscience once to whisper, that /^cr^ap^ all is 
not right ; that perhaps the way chosen is the 
wrong way, and that it may lead to destruction ; 
that perhaps repentance and faith, the love of 
God and the Redeemer, and, in short, a true 
conversion of the heart to God, may be neces- 
sary in order to meet the coming judgment 



•20 SERMON I. 

without dismay ; that " friendship to the world*^ 
may be found in that day to be "enmity with 
God ;" that it may then be discovered that 
'' without faith it is impossible to please Him, " 
and that " without holiness no man shall see 
Him :" — Suppose only such thoughts tobe sugges- 
ted to the awakening conscience ; and, then, fare- 
well to all the delusive peace of the worldly, the 
trifling, and the unconverted ! Then come aw- 
ful misgivings and racking apprehensions, and 
that agitation of the soul which such feelings can 
scarcely fail to raise. O what a refuge from all 
these doubts and fears is the Gospel of our com- 
passionate Redeemer! How great the comfort 
of feeling ourselves on the safe side of the 
strong line of separation between the servants 
of God and the servants of the devil ! What 
a high privilege to know that we have taken 
" the testimonies of God as our heritage for 
ever;" that we have chosen the good part, 
which shall never be taken from us ! " This," 
and this.only, " is life eternal, to know thee, 
the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom 
thou hast sent." — Thus much, then, for the ne- 
cessity of decision, in order to our happiness 
here. 

3. But above all, and in the third place, deci- 
sion on these points is necessary to our eternal salvation, 
— There are individuals, indeed, who escape 
from all conviction as to the necessity of deci- 
sion, by persuading themselves that it is impossi- 
ble. Ax\(\ if this persuasion were just, doubtless 
it would be less incumbent upon us to awaken 
the fears of the wavering and undecided. But 
then, if so, why does the language of Scripture 
so little harmonize with such an hypothesis.'^ 
Why did the Prophet, in the text, condemn the 



ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 21 

people for "halting between two opinions?" 
Why are we commanded to " search the Scrip- 
tures," which " testify of Christ," as himself " the 
way, the truth, and the life ?" Why are we told 
that all the institutions of Christ, and all the mini- 
strations of his Gospel, are intended so to estab- 
lish us in the belief and obedience of the truth, 
" that we henceforth be no more children, tossed 
to and fro and carried about with every wind of 
doctrine ?" Or how should God have declared, 
that " he who believeth not," he, that is, who is 
destitute of the " faith which worketh by love," 
"shall be damned?" Why is it that we meet 
with these and a thousand similar declarations 
in Scripture, if there were in reality that impossi- 
bility of arriving at a just decision, with respect 
to the principles to be embraced and the con- 
duct to be pursued, which the objection sup- 
poses ; or if even there were any great difficulty, 
to the humble and devout inquirer, in arriving at 
a safe and satisfactory conclusion respecting 
them ? 

Consider, moreover, the judgment of the holy men 
of every age or country^ as to the possibility of 
coming to a decision both as to the truths to be 
believed and the duties to be practised. With 
what other conviction did the Apostle enjoin his 
favourite disciple to " hold fast the form of 
sound words," which he had heard of him? 
Why, if martyrs questioned the possibility of 
coming to such a decision, have they been will- 
ing to shed their blood for the '' testimony of 
Jesus ?" Why, if the fathers of our church en- 
tertained any such opinion, were they prepared 
to die at the stake for those truths which they 
embodied in the formularies of the church, and 



22 SERMON I. 

which they have transmitted as an invaluable in- 
heritance to ourselves ? No, my brethren. There 
is, I am prepared to admit, much difficulty in 
coming to a decision upon many worldly subjects. 
Men remember ill, and reason worse. False 
witnesses continually rise up to contradict each 
other. Confusion and error hang like a cloud 
over almost every topic of human inquiry. But 
the sincere, and devout, and humble examiner in 
religion, will soon, by the blessing of God, escape 
from the cloudy region of doubt and perplexity, 
into the clear sunshine of scriptural truth. He 
will see things as they really are, and be enabled 
to erect a solid superstructure of Christian prin- 
ciples and Christian practice, on " the founda- 
tion of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ 
himself being the chief corner-stone." 

Beware then, my brethren, of resting on this 
plea of ' the impossibility of decision.' When 
in danger of acquiescing in a persuasion so full 
of mischief, call to mind the declarations : " A 
double-minded man is unstable in all his Ways : 
let not that man think he shall receive any 
thing of the Lord." " Whatsoever is not of 
faith, is sin." And again, " without holiness no 
man shall see the Lord." Remember also the 
sayings of Christ himself: " He that believeth 
not the Son, shall not see life." " Except ye re- 
pent," " Except ye be converted, and become as 
little children, ye cannot enter the kingdom of 
God." " The fearful and unbelieving shall have 
their part in the lake that burneth with fire and 
brimstone." Can any words be more explicit as 
to the necessity of a distinct and unequivocal 
faith and practice ? Which of these passages 
would a man choose to carry to the trial of the 



ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 23 

last day, as his apology for suspense — for a reli- 
gion without form, or essence, or substance, with- 
out a clear and cordial decision as to what is to 
be believed, felt, sought, avoided, or done ? Oh, 
what will be the astonishment and dismay of a 
person in this halting and wavering frame of 
mind, w^hen forced at once on the contemplation 
of the terrible solemnities of the great tribunal ! 
Is there any thing, my Christian brethren, un- 
certain there? Will the spirits brought up for 
judgment doubt, either as to the realities of hea- 
ven, or the realities of hell ? And where, I ask, if 
not convinced and determined in this world, are 
you to obtain your conviction and assurance? 
Is there any intermediate world, in which these 
studies are to be conducted, and indecision ex- 
changed for confidence and certainty ? Allow 
me, then, you that have not yet come to a deci- 
sion that man is fallen and corrupt; that you 
yourself are by nature lost sinners; that the 
blood of Christ alone can w^ash away your sins ; 
that you need by nature a change of heart, a new 
creation of the soul, a deliverance from sin, and 
a restoration to the divine image ; that you must 
" come out" from the world, renouncing its spirit, 
its principles, its follies ; that you must live, not 
for yourself, but for God and the great family of 
mankind ; — allow me, if you are yet in suspense 
as to these points, to urge you, by the mercies 
of God and the worth of your souls, to escape 
from such suspense before the sun of this day 
sets upon you. The shortness of life — ihe present 
wretchedness of indecision — its future penalties^ are 
all circumstances which call, as by a voice from 
heaven, for decision while the choice remains 
to you, — "while it is called to-day," — before 



24 SERMON I. 

your " feet stumble on the dark mountains," and 
the gates of the heavenly city are closed upon 
you tor ever. May you obey the call ! may you 
decide promptly, firmly, scripturally ; and may 
you build upon that '' Rock against which the 
gates of hell shall not prevail !" 

II. But to all this it may be said, ' We feel 
the misery and the danger of indecision, and 
wish anxiously to escape from it; but how is this 
to be accomplished?^ The reply to this question 
will lead us to the examination of the second 
point proposed for our consideration — viz. 
What are the ordinary causes which prevent 

MEN from COxMING TO A DECISION IN RELIGION. 

1. One of the first causes which it may be de- 
sirable to name, is a neglect of the Holy Scriptures. 
The authority and inspiration of the Sacred 
Volume may, in this place, be taken for granted. 
If, then, instead of consulting the Sacred Vo- 
lume, we are endeavouring either to grope our 
way to truth by the light of our own understand- 
ing, or are content to listen to the mere coun- 
sels of men, we have a full right to expect 'the 
uncertainty of which we complain. The great 
God has determined that w^e should climb the 
hills of everlasting truth by the one path which 
he himself has marked out; and if we are at- 
tempting to scale it by another, can we wonder 
that the curse of doubt and distraction should 
fall upon us, as the penalty of our rashness and 
presumption ? 

2. A second cause of indecision is the too high 
or too low regard for the authority of human teachers. 

We may be said to yield too much deference to 
the authority of our earthly instructors, when, 
because a man talks yehemently, or insists much 



ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 25 

Upon his own experience or advancement in re- 
ligion ; or because his station in life, his Chris- 
tian profession, or opportunities of knowledge, 
warrant us in expecting accuracy at his hands ; 
we at once blindly submit to his opinion, without 
consulting for ourselves the Scriptures, and the 
best interpretations of them, and especially 
those to which, as churchmen, we profess to ad- 
here. Independent and free, thougii humble 
and modest, inquiry is the foundation, not 
merely of Protestantism, but of all genuine re- 
ligion. 

On the other hand, we defer too little to autho- 
rity, when we treat with irreverence the collect- 
ed wisdom of the good in all ages and countries. 
Is it nothing to us, for example, that the great 
fundamental principles of our church, — the fall 
and the corruption of man, justification by faith, 
regeneration and sanctification by the influence 
of the Holy Spirit, the absolute necessity of 
good works and right tempers, of holy and hea- 
venly affections, and pure and upright conduct, 
— are the principles of those to whom, under 
God, we owe the altars at which we worship, 
and our admirable constitution in church and 
state ? Is it nothing that they come to us writ- 
ten in the blood of saints and martyrs ? Is it* 
nothing that they are found, in substance, in the 
confession of every Protestant church in Chris- 
tendom? Is it nothing that, as we trace the 
history of the Church of Christ backward, 
through more than eighteen centuries, we find 
the great mass of the distinguished servants of 
God living well, and dying happily, under the 
powerful influence of these very principles ? It 
may flatter our vanity to strike out a new path 
D 



2b SERMON I. 

for ourselves; but the man really acquainted 
with his own nature, with the difficulties of 
forming a sound judgment in religion, with the 
danger of error, and the immeasurable value of 
" the truth as it is in Jesus," is sure to distrust 
his own judgment, and to tread cautiously and 
humbly over the great field of Scriptural truth. 

3. A third cause of this uncertainty in religion 
is the habits of our lives. It is said in Scripture, 
of a particular class of men, " They love dark- 
ness rather than light, because their deeds are 
evil." And it is probable, that nothing introdu- 
ces more irregularity in our faith than the incon- 
sistencies of our practice. Who, for example, 
that is resolved to devote himself to the eager 
pursuit of the pleasures or interest of this world, 
is likely to receive in simplicity the truth, that 
" friendship with the world is enmity with God ;" 
or, that '' she that liveth in pleasure is dead 
while she liveth ?" Who, in like manner, that 
allows himself to think highly of his own natural 
endowments, will be likely to welcome the truth 
that " in our flesh dwelleth no good thing .^" 
Who that is seeking justification by his own 
merits, will readily receive the doctrine of justi- 
fication by faith in the atonement of the Re- 
'deemer? Who that is eager in the pursuit of 
this world's fugitive good, will not be tempted 
unduly to qualify, or absolutely to reject, the 
commandment to " seek first the kingdom of 
God and his righteousness ?" It is thus that a 
man's life may wage perpetual war with his 
principles; at first unsettle, and at length de- 
stroy them. If you would be sound and firm in 
the faith, labour, under the grace and power of 
the Holy Spirit, to be consistent in practice. 



ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 



27 



•' Give me," said an infidel, to a distinguished 
French divine, " your principles, and 1 will be 
a better man than yourself." " Begin," replied 
the believer, " with being a better man, and you 
will soon have my principles." And the pro- 
mise of our gracious Redeemer harmonizes with 
this sentiment : "If any man will do his will, 
he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of 
God." 

4. A fourth cause of indecision in religion is a 
neglect of prayer. — Conceive an individual to be 
borne on the wings of angels to heaven ; to have 
the uncounted riches of the treasury of God dis- 
played to him ; to have a key put into his hands, 
and to be told, " This is the key of all these trea- 
sures — use it, and they are your own for ever." 
Such a key, my Christian brethren, to all the un- 
searchable riches of heaven, is devout and believ- 
ing prayer. This opens the door to the treasury 
of God. "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask 
of God, who giveth liberally, and upbraideth 
not." " Ye have not, because ye ask not." — 
Nothing is more obvious, to a mind intent upon 
its own movements, than our dependence upon 
some mysterious Power without, and superior to 
ourselves ; upon a Power, generally speaking, 
acting, or refusing to act, according to the nature 
and spirit of our supplications. There are sea- 
sons, for example, when the most trifling event, 
the weakest cavil against religion, the slightest 
shaft of ridicule, has power to fasten itself upon 
the mind, and to disturb its purposes. Can this 
be the same mind which has, a thousand and a 
thousand times, without difficulty, sustained or 
repelled similar attacks ? Yes ; but you have 
been cold and negligent in devotion, and your 



28 



SERMON I. 



I 



strength, like that of Samson, has departed from 
you. He who alone can " establish, strengthen, 
and settle" the soul, has left it to the poverty 
and emptiness of its own resources. On the con- 
trary, are there not moments when nothing seems 
to disquiet you ; when faith rises triumphant 
over every obstacle ; when the mind appears to 
be lifted above the trials and temptations of life, 
into a region of undisturbed serenity, and purity, 
and joy; when the realities of the Gospel so fill 
it as to leave no avenue for doubts to enter; 
when the soul, unseduced and unterrified by sur- 
rounding objects, is able, through good report 
and evil report, through persecution, and trial, 
and loss, to pursue its calm and unfaltering 
course, and when, in fact, you are able to tram- 
ple on the things of this world as so many mere 
stepping-stones to eternity ? If so, I would ap- 
peal to your own experience, whether such sear 
sons have not ordinarily followed your sincere 
and ardent applications to the Throne of Grace. 
Prayer, in short, opens a way of communication 
between heaven and earth ; and when the way 
is thus opened, the blessing never fails to de- 
scend. 

5. I shall state but one more cause o^ doubt and 
indecision in religion. — It is, the not labouring to oc- 
cupy the heart with that one great ruling passion or 
affection by which every other will be fixed and con- 
trolled ; I mean, the love of God and of our Re- 
deemer. It is not less true in the administration 
of the heart than in the government of nations, 
that where many feelings, and passions, and inter- 
ests are, without any authority strong enough to 
control them, struggling for the ascendancy, 
there can be no substantial peace or unity. The 



ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 29 

mind becomes a sort of factious republic, where 
all aspire to govern, and none are contented to 
obey. And it is only when a great master-pas- 
sion is enthroned in the soul, that all the rest fall 
into their proper place, act their subordinate 
part, and pursue their course with order and 
harmony. And this master-passion in the heart 
of a Christian is the love of God, and of Him 
who, "while we were yet enemies" to God, 
"died for us." "Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart"—" The love of Christ 
constraineth us." Do you, then, find yourself 
fluctuating between different opinions, and hesi- 
tating to take " the Lord's side .'^" labour, in the 
strength of the Holy Spirit, to fill the heart with 
the love of God and of your Redeemer. Give 
yourself to Him who is " the same yesterday, to- 
day, and for ever," and he will impart to you 
something of the holy consistency and uniformity 
of his own character. It was the simple solution 
of all the holiness, loveliness, decision, and con- 
stancy of the Apostles, " We love him because 
he first loved us." 

In concluding our observations on this subject, 
there are two cautions, which I could wish to 
suggest to two different classes of individuals. 

1. In the first place, let me remind one class, 
that decision in the things of religion is not to be con- 
founded with obstinacy and self will.— r-li is one thing 
perversely to adhere to your own opinions or 
prejudices, and another calmly and steadily to 
adhere to the will of God. And yet, the line be- 
tween the two is so easily overstepped, that mul- 
titudes are calling on us to " see their zeal for 
the Lord of hosts," who are evidently acting un- 
der the mere impulse of selfishness, conceit, and 



30 SERMON I. 

ill-temper. Beware, my Christian brethren, of 
this delusion. Enter upon the cultivation of the 
Christian grace we have been contemplating, in 
the spirit of those who " first gave their own selves 
to God." Remember the declaration, "The 
wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of 
God." Surrender self as the best preparation for 
cleaving firmly, affectionately, and devotedly to 
God. 

2. And lastly. 1 would caution persons of a 
very different class, not to confound the infirmities 
of a mind really devoted to God^ with the spirit of in- 
decision and inconstancy we have been considering, — 
It is true, my Christian brethren, of the fallen 
soul, that, till it escapes from the body, many of 
its infirmities will continue to cling to it. They 
are to be considered as rather subdued than ex- 
tirpated ; and new causes and excitements fre- 
quently and unexpectedly call them into action. 
" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the 
Spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary 
the one to the other." In the midst of much in- 
firmity, if only that infirmity is resisted, lament- 
ed, repented of, and carried to the cross of 
Christ for pardon, and to the Spirit of God for 
the healing influence of his grace, you may still 
be warranted in adopting the words of another 
o^ender, '*• Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." 
At the same time, my Christian brethren, it is 
our common duty to act upon the persuasion 
that, under God, higher attainments in religion, 
and a more entire decision of character, are pos- 
sible to us. If prophets, and apostles, and the 
servants of the Redeemer, in all ages and coun- 
tries, are to be believed, it is not the miserable 
destiny of human creatures to live on in a state 



ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 31 

of suspense and vacillation, of hesitation and 
doubt. If they are to be believed, we are not 
thrown out into the wide ocean of trial and 
temptation, there to toss, hopeless and helpless, 
without pilot, or rudder, or compass. The " Fa- 
ther of mercies" has bent an eye of compassion 
upon us, and has " devised means" whereby the 
weakest of us may be making every day new 
conquests over the corruptions of our nature. 
Away, then, with all apology for habitual inde- 
cision and inactivity in the things of God and 
eternity. " If the Lord be God, serve him." 
Bring your doubts and your difficulties simply 
and honestly to the altar of the Lord ; and fire 
shall, as in the case of the sacrifice of the pro- 
phet, descend to consume them. Pray and la- 
bour earnestly to obtain fixed principles ; and 
you shall, by the very same grant, obtain, to a 
great extent, settled and immoveable peace. 
Cultivate the faith, imitate the life, and cherish 
the affections and temper, of the great Apostle 
of the Gentiles ; and you shall be enabled, with 
growing confidence of soul, to adopt his lan- 
guage; " I am persuaded that neither life, nor 
death, nor angels, nor principahties, nor powers, 
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able 
to separate us from the lore of God, which is 
in Christ Jesus our Lord." 



SERMON II. 

ON THE RIGHT RECEPTION OF THE WORD OF 
GOD. 

JAMES i. 21. 

Receive with meekness the engrafted word^ which is 
able to save your souls. 

It was the notion of a large body of heathen 
philosophers, that the gods, having created the 
world, with its inhabitants, launched them into 
the region of infinite space, to pursue their course 
without any guide or control from above. If 
this conception were just, nothing would remain 
for us, but, with the glimmering lamp of reason 
in our hands, to search out for ourselves the 
path of duty, and the sources of peace and joy. 
But if, as every Christian, on the strongest evi- 
dence, is persuaded, the merciful Being who 
originally framed us has supplied us with a Book 
designed for our complete guidance and con- 
trol, then it must be our first duty to consider 
both the contents of the volume, and the man- 
ner in which it is to be received. Negligence 
of this Sacred Record is a folly of the same or- 
der with his who, in a voyage of the utmost in- 
tricacy and peril, drives the pilot from the helm, 
and resolves to steer by the light of his own con- 
jectures. How tremendous, then, is the infatu- 
ation of those who are suffering the Volume of 



ON RECEIVING THE WORD OP GOD. 33 

Truth to slumber in dishonour upon their 
shelves, and are substituting, for its holy lessons, 
the dictates of custom, or fancy, or convenience, 
or mere worldly wisdom ! 

The object of the present discourse, my Chris- 
tian brethren, is, under the Divine blessing, to 
cherish your reverence and love for the holy 
Scriptures. Let me beg of you to unite your 
prayers with my own, that the Spirit of Truth 
may preserve us from error in our observations 
on a topic of such vital importance. 

The text appears to me well suited to the ob- 
ject we have in view ; and it may be desirable, 
in examining it, to consider, 

I. The title here given to the holy Scrip- 
tures. 

11. The power ascribed to them. 

III. The mode in which they are to be appli- 

ed TO THE SOUL. 

IV. The disposition of mind with which they 

OUGHT TO BE RECEIVED. 

I. And, first, we are to consider the title 

HERE GIVEN TO THE HOLY ScRIPTURES. 

They are called in the text, by way of empha- 
sis, '' the Word,''^ And the holy Bible is, in fact, 
"^^jword," as distinguished from every other. 
Every book, which proceeds from fallen and fal- 
lible man, and which pretends to communicate 
to us a knowledge of our present duties or our 
future destinies, bears on its pages abundant evi- 
dence of the ignorance, the weakness, and cor- 
ruption of its author, This^ on the contrary, is 
the word of Him with whom it is impossible to 
err. It is the only volume in which the great 
Author of our being, the God of Truth, has con- 
E 



34 SERMON II. 

descended to reveal himself, and to make known 
his will to his creatures. It is, in fact, nothing 
less than His own mind^ embodied for our guid- 
ance, and consolation, and eternal benefit. 

Consider, my Christian brethren, the immea- 
surable value of such a guide as the Book of 
God. Remove it, and what other teacher would 
be found who could discharge the same office in 
a fallen world } Reason cannot ; for it is neces- 
sarily in darkness with respect to the things of 
God, till the Holy Spirit, by the aid of Scripture, 
enlightens it. Human instructors cannot, for they 
can teach us only as far as they themselves are 
taught of God. Their writings, if of any value, 
are, at best, but streams from this heavenly foun- 
tain, and are strongly tinged with the impurities 
of the soil through which they flow. The Scrip- 
tures, on the contrary, leave us nothing to desire. 
They are an unerring guide both of our faith and 
our conduct. They show us our relations to 
God ; they trace out the path which can alone 
lead us to him; they discover to us the perils of 
our state, and the means of rescue ; they point to 
every disease of the soul, and to the tender hand 
of the Physician who can heal them ; they disen- 
tangle the knots by which the conscience is per- 
plexed ; they bind up the wounds by which the 
heart is lacerated. 

But why should I multiply arguments on so 
plain a point } Nothing but our long familiarity 
with the word of God can account for the little 
emotion with which we are apt to regard it. 
Conceive the very same intelligence to be trans- 
mitted by some new means from heaven to earth. 
Suppose, for instance, the Divine Author of the 
Scriptures to announce his design to appear at a 



ON RECEIVING THE WORD OP GOD. 35 

particular time and place, and, in person, to re- 
veal the truths most essential to our safety. W ith 
what eagerness would the multitude press for- 
ward to catch even a solitary word from the 
mouth of the Lord. And yet, how inferior would 
any such temporary manifestation be to the per- 
manent possession of the word of God! In the 
case we have supposed, the manifestation would 
be confined to a few — would be limited to a 
spot — would last only for a definite period. It 
might occur at an hour when the heart, hard- 
ened by prosperity, or distracted by sorrow, 
presented an almost impenetrable surface to 
the lessons of religion. But, in the Scriptures, 
you have the same wise and holy being pre- 
sent to every possessor of the Sacred Volume ; 
present in all places and at all times ; present 
at the precise moment when events have pre- 
disposed the heart to seek counsel, or receive 
consolation, from Heaven. " Show us the Fa- 
ther," said Thomas, " and it sufficeth us." And 
the words used by the Saviour himself to his 
doubting disciple, may, in a sense, be applied 
to the Scriptures : " He that hath seen these^ 
hath seen the Father." They are not merely 
the discovery of his will, or the reflection of 
his thoughts. It is not too much to say, they 
are Himself continually present with his erring 
and guilty creatures, to " direct their feet into 
the way of peace." Well, then, might the 
Psalmist exclaim, "Thy testimonies are won- 
derful! therefore doth my soul keep them." 
Well may the heart, perplexed by the variety 
and confusion of human opinions, lake refuge 
in the simple but invaluable declaration. " Thu«? 
saiih the Lord God." 



36 SERiMON II. 

But, without dwelling longer, under this head, 
on the value of the Scriptures, let us proceed, 
as was proposed, to consider, 

II. The particular power ascribed in the text 

TO THE WORD OF GoD. 

It is there said to be that word which " is 
able to save our souls.''' And need it be added, 
how frequently expressions equivalent to this 
occur in the Sacred Volume ? " Of his own 
will begat he W5," says St. James, ** With the Word 
of Truths that we might be a kind of first-fruits 
of his creatures." " We are born again," says 
St. Peter, " not of corruptible seed, but of in^ 
corruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth 
and abideth for ever." 

But, not needlessly to multiply quotations, let 
us consider in what sense the power of" saving 
the soul" is ascribed to the word of God. 

1. Ill the^r^^ place, it is by the word of God 
alone we are instructed in the way of salvation. — We 
may judge how little knowledge human wis- 
dom had been able to communicate as to this 
point, by considering that the ancients had 
several hundred different opinions as to " the 
Supreme God ;" that they had a distinct god 
for almost every city and village ; that even 
their most distinguished moralists often com- 
mend the grossest vices. Scripture, and Scrip- 
ture alone, has rescued us from the same 
depths of ignorance. And were we to be de- 
prived of it, our spiritual light would soon be 
extinguished ; the glorious realities of the in- 
visible world would fade from the view, and 
mankind would again be consigned to a worse 
than Egyptian darkness. It is from Scripture 



ON RECEIVING THE WORD OF GOD. 37 

alone we derive any knowledge of the true 
God — of our Redeemer — of the Spirit of Truth 
— of communion with the Father and the Son 
— of the means of grace — of faith, or hope, or 
charity — of the justification or sanctification of 
our souls — of " the new heavens and the new 
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." The 
Scriptures, in short, are the only ark and de- 
pository of the testimonies of God, of all the 
♦' treasures of divine wisdom and knowledge." 
The saints of God upon earth speak of them 
as " the lantern to their feet :" and the spirits 
of the just, as they rejoice amidst the thrones 
of glory, shall trace every spark of their sav- 
ing knowledge of the things of eternity to the 
sacred light shed over the pages of the book 
of God. 

2. But, again : The " word of God," is said 
to " save our souls," inasmuch as it is the direct in- 
strument employed by the Divine Being to carry on the 
work of our salvation. 

This instrumental power of the word is illus- 
trated by many images in Scripture. It is com- 
pared to a " 56CC?," which, lodged in the heart, 
gradually produces a new creature; — to a 
•' 5ca/," which, stamped on the soul, leaves there 
the deep and living impression of the Divine 
image ; — and, as in the text, to a *' graft," which, 
by the insertion of a new nature, changes the 
barren stock into a fruitful tree. 

Indeed, every efTectual movement of the hu- 
man mind towards God, and every saving change 
in the human character, are uniformly ascribed 
in Scripture to the Holy Spirit, as the agent ; and 
to the " word," as the instrument. The word re- 
veals the truth, and the Spirit applies it to the 



38 SERMOxV II. 

heart. The word displays the path of duty, 
and the Spirit disposes aod enables us to walk 
in it. The word points to our crucified Saviour, 
and the Spirit prompts us to take refuge in his 
bosom. The word cannot operate effectually 
without the Spirit; the Spirit, at least in the 
case of intellectual agents, refuses to act with- 
out the word. If He " enlighten" the soul, it is 
by directing upon it some ray from this heaven- 
ly lamp. If He " quicken" the man " dead in 
trespasses and sins," it is by some living coal 
from this altar of God. If he alarm, it is by the 
threats of the sacred volume; if he comforts, it 
is by its bright and blessed promises. " The 
law of the Lord," says David, " is an undefiled 
law, converting the soul ; the testimony of the 
Lord is sure, and giveth wisdom unto the simple ; 
the statutes of the Lord are right, and rejoice 
the heart; the commandment of the Lord is 
pure, and giveth light to the eyes." Search, my 
brethren, into the history of man, and, setting 
aside the miraculous occurrences of other days 
of the church, you will find that every case of 
real, sober, and practical conversion from a life 
of sin to a life of holiness and purity, is to be 
ascribed to the " word of the Lord," applied, 
through the medium of our rational powers, by 
the Spirit, to the soul. And even in the cases 
of conversion which partake most of a miracu- 
lous character, this law of the Divine govern- 
ment is preserved. When Paul fell to the 
ground, it was a voice from heaven^ which stretch- 
ed him there. When '^ three thousand" were 
at once added to the church, they were con- 
verts to the words preached by Peter. And 
thus, in Qwevy other instance, the word is that 



ON RECEIVING THE WORD OP GOD. 39 

•' sword of the Spirit" by which He fights the 
battles and wins the trophies of religion. 

How many, in the public services of the 
church, or the deep retirement of the closet, 
have found in this sacred word a secret and 
mysterious power, which has laid bare to them 
the corruptions of their heart, and the peril of 
their circumstances — which has flashed upon 
their benighted minds the certainty of ruin to the 
impenitent, and of pardon and joy to the peni- 
tent and believing ! Even the wretched idola- 
ter, upon whom the light of Revelation has not 
yet dawned, obtains perhaps a copy of this pre- 
cious volume, and discovers there truths of so 
high, and holy, and transforming a nature, as in 
the end to rescue him from the grasp of his cor- 
ruptions, and devote him to holiness and God. 
The converted sinner may be unable to specify 
the day or hour when his conversion took place : 
he may be unable to name the passage by which 
his conscience was first alarmed, or his heart 
affected : but he is able to say, " I was blind, 
and now I see ;" and to feel that " the word" is 
the instrument to which he owes his transforma- 
tion. 

III. But we are, thirdly, to consider the mode 

IN WHICH THE WORD OF GoD, IN ORDER TO ITS PRO 
PER EFFECT, MUST BE APPLIED TO THE SOUL. 

It is called in the text the " engrafted'''^ word ; 
and this image would seem to imply, in the first 
place, that the word must be really fixed in the 
mind ; and, in the second place, that it must live 
in it. 

1. In ihe first place, the word of God must be 
fixed or lodged in the mind. It must be let into il, 



40 SERMON II. 

as the graft by incision is let into the tree. It 
must " dwell in us, in all wisdom and spiritual 
understanding." It is not enough to bring the 
word into mere contact with the soul : it must 
penetrate to the inner man : it must sink from 
the ear to the heart, and make a deep and per- 
manent lodgement there. How strong, as to 
this point, is the expression of the Psalmist ! 
" Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that 1 might 
not sin against thee." And would we, my Chris- 
tian brethren, benefit by it, we must in like man- 
ner welcome the word of God, and hide it in the 
deepest chambers of the soul. We must " pon- 
der" upon it, " pray" over it, " meditate" upon 
it, " give ourselves wholly to it." — Think of this» 
you who, having bestowed perhaps a few reluc- 
tant minutes on the Word of Truth, instantly dis- 
charge the mind of all further concern with it, 
leaving the precious " seed" to become the prey 
of every passing occupation or event. Think of 
it, you who contend for the innocence or safety 
of a life of perpetual engagement or turmoil ; 
who make no effort to snatch from the occupa- 
tions or pleasures of life seasons of leisure, and 
repose, and devout intercourse with your God 
and Saviour; who so rarely " commune with 
your own heart, and in your chamber, and are 
still." Think of this, and tremble for the conse- 
quences of your negleci ! 

2. But again, the figure in the text seems, fur- 
ther, to teach us that the word of God must also 
live in the soul. T!he graft is not designed simply 
to adhere to the stock, in a state of lifelessness 
and inactivity ; but to infuse into it new life, and 
to crown it with better and more abundant pro- 
duce. And thus, in the case before us, the word 



ON RECEIVING THE WORD OF GOD. 41 

ol God must not be merely appended to the mind, 
as a body of useless and inoperative truths or 
precepts. It must live and act in the soul. It 
must impart new life ; and impregnate with new 
qualities and tempers the wild and hitherto un- 
profitable stock of human nature. It must en- 
rich every hitherto stunted or unproductive 
branch with the fruits of holiness, and usefulness, 
and love. 

But we are in danger, in these remarks, of an- 
ticipating our last subject of inquiry. Let us, 
therefore, proceed to consider, 

IVthly. The disposition of mind with which 
THE WORD OP God should be received. 

Consider the meaning of that expression in 
the text ; " Receive with meekness the engrafted 
word." 

In the first place, it is surely implied in this 
expression, that you should receive the word of 
God in a kind temper. " Let all bitterness," says 
the Apostle, " and wrath, and clamour, and an- 
ger, and evil speaking, be put away from you, 
with all malice." The graft of the word, my 
Christian brethren, will flourish only in the at- 
mosphere of harmony and love. Harshness nips 
the tender bud, and no fruit comes to perfection. 
It was when the disciples " were together," were 
of " one heart" and of " one mind," thae the 
"word of God grew mightily and prevailed." 
And it is under the influence of a like temper that 
we can alone expect much progress in our own 
religion, or in that of others. If you approach 
the house of God in a captious spirit, and with a 
disposition to cavil — if you require infaUibility in 
vour ministers ; if you make them offenders for 
F 



42 SERMON II. 

a word— how must their zeal be chilled and dis- 
couraged, your own hearts contracted, and the 
blessing of God shut out from the ministration of 
his Gospel ! 

Again, you must receive the word with hwli- 
ncss, — Surely this is a state of mind peculiarly 
befitting a creature continually wrong, while re- 
ceiving the lessons of a Being who is invariably 
right. Should not such a student approach the 
Sacred Volume with profound humility; with a 
deep conviction of his own ignorance and cor- 
ruption, and of the infallible wisdom and conde- 
scension of the Great Father? But in how 
many instances does an opposite temper of mind 
prevail. The proud ' rationalist' in religion, for 
example, seats himself to the Sacred Volume as 
though he were privy to the secrets of Heaven, 
and as though the limits of truth were to be mea- 
sured by the grasp of his own understanding. — 
Nor do even the more devout readers of Scrip- 
ture always escape from a somewhat similar er- 
ror. Some, for instance, not satisfied with the 
plain meaning of the word of God, fancy a latent 
sense, which will be disclosed only to the bolder, 
and more prying, and ingenious inquirer. I mean 
not, indeed, to deny that a spiritual eye, under 
the guidance of the Holy Ghost, will make larger 
discoveries of the mind of God than others, and 
that Scripture will convey to such an individual 
many a lesson denied to the rest of mankind. — 
But I wish to expose that spirit of rash and pre- 
sumptuous interpretation of Scripture, which 
transforms all that is simple into something mys- 
terious and concealed ; frames first a system in 
religion, and then bends every passage of the Bi- 
ble to sustain it : converts a book of plain truths 



ON RECEIVING THE WORD OF GOD. 43 

lor plain men, into a book of spiritual enigmas ; 
founds a theory on a solitary word, and opposes 
to the results of modest and devout inquiry con- 
ceits struck out at the moment, and which, if ad- 
mitted, would shake every foundation of ortho- 
dox religion, of sound morality, and of common 
sense. " God is in heaven, and we upon earth." 
May this truth sink deep into the soul, fill us with 
suspicion of ourselves, and admiration of God; 
and dispose us rather to listen and learn, than to 
dispute and invent. Doubt, change, and distrac- 
tion will almost infallibly follow a man who 
treads the hill of Zion as an unknown land, of 
which all the paths, and heights, and pleasant 
places are, for the first time, to be discovered 
and delineated by himself Such an individual 
may begin in devotion, but he will ordinarily 
proceed in enthusiasm, and perhaps end in infi- 
delity. Let us then be humble, and modest, and 
practical in our inquiries. The " secret things 
belong unto the Lord our God ; but the things 
that are revealed, to us and to our children, that 
we may do them." 

Again : you must receive the word of God with 
simplicity and honesty of heart, — How few can with 
justice appropriate to themselves, in regard to 
their application of the truths of Scripture, the 
language of the Apostle ! "Our rejoicing is this, 
the testimony of our conscience, that in simpli- 
city and godly sincerity... .we have had our con- 
versation in the world." How much is the in- 
genuity of many employed in supplying glosses 
or interpretations of Scripture, by which its 
strength is diluted, its meaning distorted, and the 
Book of Truth constrained to " prophesy only 
mooth things" in the ears of those against whom 



44 SERMON II. 

are directed the thunders of the violated Law, 
and who ought rather to be made to feel the 
terrors of impending judgment! It is for you, 
when listening to " the word," as in the case of 
the infant prophet when roused from sleep by 
the voice of the Lord, to say, " Speak, Lord, for 
thy servant heareth." 

Again : you are to receive the word submis- 
sively and obediently. — It is never promised that 
every doctrine, or even precept, of Scripture, 
shall be so brought down to the low level of a 
fallen mind as that we should be able, in all cases, 
to discover its perfect propriety and reasonable- 
ness. You may even have been pursuing, for a 
considerable period, the path pointed out by 
God as leading to peace and joy, without ex- 
periencing the happy consequences you had 
been led to anticipate. Like the king of Israel, 
constrained to wait from day to day without the 
appearance of the Prophet, your hopes of enjoy- 
ing the promised blessing may be subject to 
many disappointments. Nevertheless, you are 
still, in obedience to God's word, to wait, to la- 
bour, and to persevere in earnest prayer and in 
the use of the other means of grace ; in the sure 
confidence that " God is faithful who hath pro- 
mised," and that he will, in due time, fulfil his 
promises to all who " seek him with their whole 
hearts." And, however tried and disappointed 
you are still to struggle on in the spirit of the dis- 
ciples, who, though exhausted by the fruitless 
labours of the night, cheerfully complied with 
their Lord's request: " Nevertheless, atthyword^ 
we will let down the net." 

And, finally, you are to receive the word with 
strongs cordial, and affectionate reliance on the Holy 



ON RECEIVING THE WORD OF GOD. 45 

Spirit as its interpreter to the soul — The Scripture 
is a dead letter till that Spirit breathe upon it : 
" The natural man receiveth not the things of the 
Spirit of God ; neither can he know them, for 
they are spiritually discerned." Implore the 
Holy Ghost to decipher and apply his own book ; 
to " guide you into all truth ;" to " take of the 
things of Christ, and shew them" to the soul. 

But, my brethren, I must hasten to state, in 
conclusion, some of the practical consequences 
which follow from the preceding observations. 

1. In the first place, you may perhaps learn 
from the text the cause of that slow progress in reli- 
gion which you yourselves are so often disposed to 
lament. — Is it not, that, whereas the sanctification 
and salvation of the soul are ascribed, under the 
influence of the Holy Spirit, to the " engrafted 
word^^"* you are not making that " word" the 
grand instrument of your own improvement and 
progress? What portion, for instance, of your 
time, your thoughts, your prayers, do you dedi- 
cate to the study of the Sacred Volume? — 
** Farewell !" says Bishop Ridley, with much pa- 
thos and beauty, to the place of his education : 
" farewell ! in thine orchard, the walls, the butts, 
and the trees, if they could speak, would bear 
me witness I learned without book almost all St. 
Paul's Epistles, and I ween all the Canonical 
Epistles....of which study, although a great part 
did depart from me, yet the sweet smell thereof 
I trust 1 shall carry with me to heaven ; for the 
profit thereof I think I have felt in all my life- 
time ever after." — " Looking," says the martyr 
Bilney, "into the New Testament, by God's 
special providence I met with these words, 
• This is a true saying, and worthy of all accep- 



46 SERMON 11. 

tation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to 
save sinners, whereof I am chief.' O most sweet 
and comfortable sentence to mj soul ! This one 
sentence, through God's instruction and inward 
working, did so exhilarate my heart, which before 
was wounded with the guilt of my sins,....that im- 
mediately I found comfort and quietness in my 
soul, so that my bruised bones leaped for joy." — 
" I can find no rest," says Chillingworth, speak- 
ing of the Scriptures, " for the soul of my foot, 
but upon this rock only." — I quote these senti- 
ments, my Christian brethren, to prove that not 
merely in the days of the Prophets, or first disci- 
ples of the Saviour, was the word of God pre- 
cious to the believer ; but that in every age and 
climate it has been found, through God, pregnant 
with comfort, and mighty to save. Fold it, then, 
if you would be wise, or safe, or holy, or happy 
— fold it to your bosom, and say, " Thy testi- 
monies have I claimed as my hermitage for ever : 
and why ? they are the very joy of my heart^^'^ 

2. A second lesson conveyed by the text is 
that of satisfying ourselves with no effect of the word 
of God short of the " salvation of our souls.'^'' — Such 
is the power ascribed to the sacred volume in 
the text. And remember, that if some read it 
without attention, others are no less apt to read 
it without faith. If such be your own case, let 
me recommend you, as a remedy for this evil, 
often to employ yourselves in contemplating the 
actual effects of this word on the souls of those who 
have devoutly used it. David was at once 
brought back to God by the word of the Prophet 
Nathan : Manasseh, by " the word of the seers." 
The treasurer of Queen Candace was changed, 
not by a miraculous influence, but, under God, 



ON RECEIVING THE WORD OP GOD. 47 

bj the very same passage of Scripture to which 
Lord Rochester, at the distance of many centu- 
ries, ascribes his own conversion. The Angel 
sent to Cornelius only directs him where to ap- 
ply for a preacher of the word ; and it is said, 
" white Peter spake these words^ the Holy Ghost fell 
on him." In fact, no barrier is too strong for this 
word of the Most High. But, my brethren, if 
this be true, then endeavour to exercise faith in 
hearing or reading the Volume of Truth. Ex- 
pect much from its sacred instruction. Regard 
it, not as the mere echo of empty sounds, but as 
that " voice of the Lord" which " shaketh the 
heavens ;" which shall finally summon the sea 
and the grave to give up their dead ; and which 
can now call you from the abyss of misery and 
guilt, and proclaim you to be the child of God, 
and the heir of eternal life. " If you believe, all 
things are possible," and this among the rest; — 
that you, guilty and ignorant as you may feel 
yourself, guided by this blessed book, may have 
your sins washed by the blood of a Saviour, and 
your hearts renewed, sanctified, and comforted 
by the Holy Ghost ; " Whosoever will, let him 
drink of the water of life freely." 

3. Finally, remember to whom we are said in 
Scripture to owe all the benefits of the word of 
God. — " I saw," says St. John, in the figurative 
language of the Revelations, " a strong angel, 
proclaiming with a loud voice. Who is worthy to 
open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 
And no man, in heaven, or in earth, or under 
the earth, was able to open the book: and I 
wept much, because no man was found worthy 
to open the book. And one of the elders said 
unto me, Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. 



48 SERMON II. 

the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the 
book." And this language may be applied to 
the case before us. Every part of Scripture 
teaches us that we owe the Book, and its mys- 
terious influence on the soul, to the intercession 
and the sacrifice of Christ. Approach it, there- 
fore, resting upon the compassion and wisdom of 
the Son of God. Come to Him, as to the Living 
Word, by which life is to be imparted to the 
soul. Thank him for the past ; trust him for the 
future. Endeavour " to live a life of faith " upon 
him. Call upon him to unfold the truths of the 
heavenly volume to your own soul — to reveal 
Himself to you — to fill you with his own mind, 
stamp you with his own image, " guide you with 
his counsels," and at length " receive you up into 
glory ;" — and may God, from heaven his dwel- 
ling-place, hear and answer your prayer, and 
take you to the bosom of his mercies for ever ! 



SERMON III, 



IHE NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE IN THE 
STUDY AND USE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 



1 COR. xii. 3. 

JVb man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the 
Holy Ghost, 



Excess in any one point of religion is almost 
Bure to lead to excess in a precisely opposite di- 
rection. An alarm at enthusiasm, for instance, 
has assisted in driving many to indifference. The 
excessive devotion of one body of men to the 
ceremonials of religion, has encouraged others in 
a rash and mischievous contempt of them. The 
exaggerated statements of some reasoners on 
"the slavery of the vi^ill, " has assisted to beget 
in others an undue assertion of its independence. 
And thus it is, also, in the case of that subject 
to which the text more particularly directs our 
attention. Some well-intentioned individuals 
have pushed to such an extent the doctrine of 
Divine influence^ as to attribute every event in life, 
every quality in man, and even sin itself, to the 
appointment and influence of God. Others, on 
the contrary, alarmed at such extravagance, 
have excluded the Holy Spirit from the offices 
clearly ascribed to him in Scripture. As either 
of these errors is, in the highest degree mischier- 
G 



50 SERMON III. 

ous ; and as many find it difficult to discover the 
point of truth between them; I have thought that 
we might usefully occupy ourselves with this 
subject. Let us enter upon the examination of 
it, my Christian brethren, with earnest prayer 
that the Holy Spirit may be pleased to preside 
over an undertaking dedicated peculiarly to his 
own glory. 

On a future occasion, it is my hope to examine 
this subject more especially with a reference to 
the influence of the Holy Spirit on the character and 
conduct: at present I shall confine my observa- 
tions to the influence of the Holy Spirit on the study 
and use of Scripture, And, in order to meet the 
case of the two classes of individuals to whom we 
have referred, it may be well to consider, 

I. What progress it is possible to make in 

THE STUDY AND USE OF SCRIPTURE WITHOUT 
THE SPECIAL INFLUENCE OF THE HoLY SPI- 
RIT. 
II. As TO WHAT POINTS WE MUST LOOK ALTOGE- 
THER TO THIS SACRED INFLUENCE, v^. 

I. We are to consider what progress may be 

MADE IN THE STUDY AND USE OF ScRIPTURE WITH- 
OUT THE SPECIAL INFLUENCES OF THE HoLY SpiRlT. 

1. In the first place, then, it is obvious that, 
without such special influence of the Spirit of 
God, it is possible to arrive at a bare belief in the 
truth of Scripture. It has been affirmed, by one 
of the most distinguished judicial characters of 
this country, that the evidence for the truth of 
the Gospel was stronger to his mind than that for 
any fact ever brought for judgment into a court 
of justice. But if this be true, no special influ- 
ence can be necessary to enable us to perceive 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE. 51 

the strength of this evidence. Men of keen fa- 
culties in other pursuits, do not forfeit them on 
approaching the Word of God. And, according- 
ly, the mere truth of Scripture has been admitted 
by thousands whose lives have sufficiently indi- 
cated the absence of all spiritual influence on 
their hearts. " Believest thou the prophets .'*" 
said Paul to Agrippa; and he adds, "1 know 
that thou believest," although the habits of 
Agrippa at the moment plainly proclaimed the 
absence of all sanctifying influence on the mind. 
And, in like manner, it is said, even of those mi- 
serable spirits who are farthest removed from all 
spiritual influence, that they " believe, and trem- 
ble." 

2. Again : it is possible for an individual, 
without the special influence of the Holy Spirit, 
to become acquainted with the contents of the Sacred 
Volume. The same faculties which enable him 
to collect the contents of any other book, do not 
forsake him in the examination of this. In the 
investigation, especially, of those parts of Scrip- 
ture which do not interfere with his passions and 
indulgences, his understanding is as free and as 
powerful as in the pursuit of any other subject. 
As to these points, he may be compared to a man 
who ascends an eminence to survey the range 
of land and ocean which lie before him. The 
strongest eye will make the largest discoveries. 
It is only because such men either refuse to read, 
or resolve to deny what they are afraid to ac- 
knowledge, that their map of the Gospel is not 
the same with that designed by the true Chris- 
tian. In some instances, it is a matter of noto- 
riety that very correct delineations of religion 



BZ SERMON III. 

have been supplied by individuals who were 
themselves but little interested in it. 

3. In the third place, it is possible, without the 
special influence of the Holy Spirit, to feel the 
highest admiration for parts of the Sacred Volume. — 
The examiner of Scripture, especially if a man 
of fine taste, may be charmed with its literary 
beauties, with the force of its reasonings, the 
power of its language, and the splendour of its 
imagery. He may chance to find there certain 
statements peculiarly accordant with his own 
views and sentiments. Its simplicity, after the 
inflation of many worldly compositions, may be 
truly refreshing to him. Its narrations may serve 
to chase away the weariness of a vacant hour, 
and to engage and interest the minds of his chil- 
dren. And if not merely a man of taste, but of 
feeling, it is possible to conceive him tracing out 
the history of Christ with delight and astonish- 
ment ; shedding the tear of sensibility over his 
sufferings; and his imagination to be sot capti- 
vated with the Gospel, that he may resist an at- 
tack upon it as upon any other idol of his fancy. 
The religion of a crucified Saviour may thus be- 
come to him, what the voice of the Prophet was 
to some of his countrymen, " a very pleasant in- 
strument." Like Balaam, he may say, " How 
goodly are thy tents, O Jacob !" Like the mul- 
titudes who followed Christ, he may be willing 
even to exalt the Saviour to a throne, if he him- 
self may be permitted to "reign with him." 

4. Once more: such an individual may pro- 
ceed clearly and strikingly to display the contents of 
the Sacred Volume to others. — He may be a man of 
lively imagination, and conjure up the most at* 
tractive images for the illustration of the truth. 



NECESSITY OP DIVINE INFLUENCE. 53 

He may be a master in composition, and there- 
fore able to describe forcibly what he sees dis- 
tinctly. But, nevertheless, all these powers and 
faculties may be called into action without the 
operation of any principle of piety, and, there- 
fore, without the sanctifying influences of the 
Holy Spirit on the soul. Strong statements, or 
glowing descriptions, may be mere instruments 
which such a man employs for worldly purposes; 
to move or to control the mind of his hearers, to 
advance his interest, or to establish his reputa- 
tion. As in the case of Saul, he may be thus as- 
sociated with " the prophets," without loving the 
God of the prophets. Or, as in that of the indi- 
viduals who " preached Christ from contention," 
he may be influenced by unholy motives, and 
yet employ the most sacred language. It is thus 
that an individual endowed with great natural 
powers, but a stranger to the grace of God, may 
strikingly exhibit to others the Redeemer whom 
he hima^^lf neglects ; and may powerfully enforce 
on the Consciences of others, obligations which 
he himself utterly disregards in practice. — 
There are few, even of the devout ministers of 
the word of God, who do not at some moments 
feel the danger, in a greater or less degree, of 
this kind of hypocrisy. And there are, it is to 
be feared, cases in which the life of the indivi- 
dual is little better than one great practical false- 
hood from its commencement to its close. " This 
people draweth nigh to me with their lips, but 
their hearts are far from me." 

Thus far then, my brethren, as it appears to 
me, may a man proceed in the use and study of 
the Scriptures without the special influence of 
the Holy Spirit. He may admit their truth, may 



% 



54 SERMON III. 

become acquainted with their contents, maj 
give them a place in his fancy and taste, and 
even successfully proclaim them to others ; and 
" There is not" (as it has been powerfully said 
by the writer by whom many of these statements 
have been suggested) " a more painful specta- 
cle, than that of a man blessed with all the light 
which nature can give, but labouring under the 
darkness which nature cannot dispel; — a man of 
many accomplishments, and who can bring all 
his powers of demonstration to bear upon the 
Bible ; yet carrying in his bosom a heart un- 
cheered by any of its consolations, unmoved by 
the influence of any of its truths, unshaken from 
its attachment to this world, and an utter stran- 
ger to those high resolves, and the power of 
those great and animating prospects, which shed 
a glory over the daily path of the believer." 
Such a man may indeed nominally " call Jesus, 
Lord," but cannot, without the aid of the Spirit, 
receive him practically, spirtually, and efficient- 
ly, as a Lord and Saviour. You, if suclM)e your 
circumstances, may be every thing in the eye of 
man, and nothing in that of God. You may 
" have a name to live, and be dead" as to all the 
real purposes of your being. You may be a 
" preacher to others, and yet yourselves a cast- 
away." You may be " clothed in all the pur- 
ple and fine linen" of worldly applause, and yet 
have cause in reality to envy the poor creature 
who lies before you, powerless and despised as 
to the body, but rich in the quahties of lowHness, 
and contrition, and love, and faith, and holy 
obedience to the will of God his Redeemer. 
II. But I come now, secondly, to inquire what 

IS THAT KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF SCRIPTURE OF 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE. 65 

WHICH THE Holy Ghost must be considered as 
THE exclusive AUTHOR — OF, in othcr words, what 
is meant by the expression in the text, "No man 
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy 
Ghost." 

1. In the first place, it is by the Holy Spirit we 
are led to make a personal application of the Holy 
Scripture to our own case. The individuals whom 
we have been hitherto contemplating, may be- 
come, as we have seen, in a measure acquainted 
with the contents of the Scriptures : but, then, 
they know them rather for others than themselves. 
The truths of that Gospel, which is " the pow- 
er of God unto salvation in them that believe," 
instead of entering their minds, lie uselessly on 
the surface. Nothing but the power of the Holy 
Spirit can carry the holy seed to its proper de- 
stination in the soul. " Paul may plant, Apollos 
may water, but God giveth the increase." No- 
thing can be more appalling than the deadness 
of the conscience, till the Spirit of the Lord thus 
quick^ it into sensibility and life — nothing 
more aelightful than its tenderness when this 
change is wrought. Then it is, that, with the 
jailor, the man thus visited of God exclaims, 
*" What must I do to be saved ?" Then it is, 
that, with the disciples, he asks, " Is it I ? Am 
1 the guilty man described in the Gospel, and 
for whom the Great Shepherd lived and died ?" 
Then it is, that, however indifferent before, he 
exclaims, with Job, when admitted to personal 
intercourse with God, " I have heard of Thee 
by the hearing of the ear ; but now mine eye 
seeth thee, and I abhor myself, and repent in 
dust and ashes." 



56 SERMON III. 

2. It is the Spirit of God alone who endears the 
promises of Scripture to the heart. How wide is 
the distinction between different individuals as. 
to the state of the religious affections ! A man, 
without the special influences of the Holy Spirit, 
may, as we have seen, yield to the truths of the 
Gospel a decided, though cold and spiritless, ap- 
probation. But there he stops. Nothing but 
the Holy Ghost can dispose him to regard these 
truths as something intrinsically precious to his 
soul. Nothing else can prompt him to " hide 
them in his heart" — to esteem them as the pearl 
of great price — to lay them up in the treasure- 
house of his affections, as the materials of pre- 
sent consolation and future joy. " Oh," says 
the Psalmist, " how I love thy law ! It is dear- 
er t6 me than thousands of gold and silver." 
Look also, my brethren, to the Apostles of 
Christ, when thus brought under the influence 
of the Holy Spirit. Where is now their former 
doubt or waywardness ? where their cold- 
ness and inconstancy ? where the ijprldly 
anxieties, which used to rend their minos, and 
^ stir up contention among them ? All these have 

^ " passed away ;" for they are " created anew in 

Christ Jesus." Their passions and prejudices 
are sacrificed on the altar of God. The love of 
Christ absorbs and fixes their once wavering 
hearts. They nominally called him " Lord^* 
before ; but they now use the expression in a 
higher and a more appropriate sense. They are 
entirely his. They "-yield their members as instru- 
ments of righteousness to him." They "give their 
own selves to God." Instead of saying with the 
Jews, " We will not have this man to reign over 
us," their language is, " We will have no other 



NECESSITY OP DIVINE INFLUENCE. 57 

Master." " Lo, this is our God ; we have waited 
fpr him : this is the Lord ; we will rejoice and 
be glad in his salvation.'' 

3. In the third place: It is the Holy Spirit 
alone who brings the word of God effectually to bear 
upon the temper and conduct, — It is possible, as we 
have stated, without any special influence of the 
Holy Spirit, to admit the truth of Scripture. But, 
without his aid, we cannot obey the Scripture. 
It is the language of God himself, " I will put my 
Spirit within thee, and cause thee to obey my 
statutes." " Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not 
fulfil the lusts of the flesh." Man, till brought 
under this new dominion, is always represented 
as a captive of Satan — the world as his prison — 
and his lusts and appetites as the chains of his 
terrible bondage. But it is said, " where the 
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." As soon 
as this new influence is felt on the soul, our 
chains begin to drop from us. Like the Apostle, 
in the dmigeon, we find that some powerful hand 
is at worn for our deliverance. Some angry tem- 
per is gradually quieted, some lust is quenched, 
some passion is bridled. Our powers are gradu- 
ally enlarged ; until, at length, loosened from the 
bands which held us so long and so disgracefully, 
we " walk abroad in all the glorious liberty of 
the children of God." Then, and then only, it 
is that we arrive at a full perception of the truth 
of the declaration, " If the Son make you free^ 
then are ye free indeed." Compare, my brethren, 
the obedience of others with that of the indivi- 
dual who thus lives and walks in the power of the 
Spirit of God. How languid is the compliance 
of the one class ; and how vigorous and decided 
4;hat of the other ! There are many complaints 
H 



5B SERMON III. 

in society as to the dearth of practical religioiie 
And most justly are these complaints in some in- 
stances urged, although not always upon right 
grounds, or in a right spirit, or by the individuals 
most authorized to urge them. But what is there 
which ought to inflict deeper anguish on the mind 
jealous for God, for the Saviour, and for the sal- 
vation of mankind, than the low standard of prac- 
tice which prevails in the world ? Suppose, my 
brethren, one of those happy spirits, acquainted 
only with the region of love and uninterrupted 
obedience in which he dwells, to be sent in 
search of the world appointed for our own habi- 
tation, and for which the Son of God lived and 
died — suppose him to alight amongst us even on 
a Sabbath, and to see the multitudes who are pro- 
faning that holy day by business, idleness, or dis- 
sipation — suppose him to enter the public haunts 
of vice, and to mingle with the crowd living for 
this world, and forgetting God and eternity — 
suppose him to take his place in the fanwly circle 
of multitudes professing to believe injfchrist as 
the Son of God and the Saviour of the wo^-ld — 
what, when he thus contemplated the too general 
spirit and temper of society — its worldliness, its 
selfishness, its levity, its indisposition to God and 
Christ, its feverish pursuit of present things, and 
its neglect of things to come — and, at the same 
time, contrasted this world with that which he 
inhabited, and the manner in which the will of 
God is " done on earth," with that in which it is 
*• done in heaven," — what would he think of the 
region he had visited ? Would he not be dis- 
posed to conceive himself mistaken as to the 
globe on which he had rested — to abandon it in 
quest of some other region, the principles and 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE. 59 

practice of whose inhabitants might more strictlj 
accord with their obligations, and where the 
love manifested to them by a dying Saviour be 
followed by a grateful and affectionate compli- 
ance with his will, and devotion to his service ? 

And to what cause may we ascribe this la- 
mentable want of genuine godliness visible 
among us ? To what but to the neglect of the 
influence of the Holy Spirit ? It is the power of 
the Spirit alone, my brethren, which can pro- 
duce in us conformity to the will of God and the 
mind of Christ. " My people," says the Psalmist, 
*' shall be willing in the day of my power." " He 
will teach us his ways," says Isaiah ; " and we 
shall walk in his paths." Such are the declara- 
tions of God, and the state of the world around 
us will be found to illustrate and confirm them. 
It is those alone who, from day to day, and hour 
to hour, cast themselves upon the Divine power 
thus pledged to " work in them to will and to do 
of his good pleasure," who present us with the 
few bri^t spots, the Oases which meet and re- 
fresh us in the wilderness of life ; w^ho are at 
once the ornament and the joy of society, that 
" salt of the earth" which serves to keep it 
from unmixed and irremediable corruption. 

But, my brethren, it is necessary that we 
should turn to the consideration of some of the 
CONCLUSIONS which may be drawn from these ob- 
servations. 

1 . In the first place, then, let the text teach us 
7iot to confound the results of ournatural powers with 
the fruits of the Spirit. — It is possible, as we have 
seen, to arrive at a speculative belief in Scrip- 
ture by the mere exercise of our natural facul- 
ties. You mav, therefore, this believe and un- 



60 SERMON III. 

derstand, without being under the influence of 
the Holj Spirit ; or, in other words, without be- 
ing taught of God, and sanctified by his grace. 
You may believe in the doctrine of repentance 
without repenting — in that of conversion, without 
being converted — in that of the atonement, with- 
out being cleansed by the blood of Christ 
from your sins. Religion has its seat in the 
heart ; and, if it really dwell there, it will lead 
infallibly to the renovation of the temper, the 
conversation, and the life. " By its fruits ye 
shall know it ;" and happy shall I be, if any in- 
dividual should, under the blessing of God, be 
rescued by these humble reasonings from a state 
of delusion as to his own circumstances, which 
might have issued in the unutterable and inter- 
minable misery of his soul. The doctrine of Di- 
vine influence is often charged with ministering 
to enthusiasm ; and, doubtless, it has been some- 
times so abused. But here is a safeguard against 
an enthusiastic use of it. If you would ensure to 
yourselves the help of the Spirit, seek not for a 
revelation of any truths in addition to those of 
Scripture, for none shall be given. Seek not for 
sensible movements on the body or mind, for 
these are not promised to you. But seek for 
" the fruits of the Spirit," in a renewed heart and 
a holy life. These, these are the only genuine 
proofs that the soul has been impregnated with 
the seed of eternal life ; that the Holy Ghost has 
effectually enabled us to receive Jesus as our 
Lord ; and that we are thus made alive to God, 
through faith that is in him. 

2. But, secondly, let the text teach us the trans- 
cendent importance of seeking habitually and devoutly 
the presence and influence of the Spirit of God, — 



NECESSITY OP DIVINE INFLUENCE. 61 

You lament over your own deficiencies in prayer 
and reading, in acting and suffering, in temper 
and practice. Is not a neglect of the Spirit of 
God the cause which, like a secret canker, is 
withering every noble and holy quality of your 
mind ? Observe the strength and the breadth 
of the declaration in the text : " JVo man can say 
that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." 
Here is no exemption for men of " a peculiar 
cast," of more than ordinary talents, or in the 
most advantageous circumstances. " JVo marC* 
can practically and savingly receive Jesus as his 
Teacher, his Atonement, and his Ruler, who 
does not earnestly seek from God the illumina- 
ting and sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost. 
Learning is valuable for its own ends ; but here 
is an object evidently beyond its reach. The ex- 
ertion of our natural powers is proper and neces- 
sary, but they cannot discharge the office of the 
Spirit of God. What, then, remains for the man 
in earnest about salvation, but to set himself anx- 
iously, and in the name of his Redeemer, to ob- 
tain this sacred aid ? Pray for the Spirit, that ye 
may " walk in the Spirit ;" that ye may ^'' bring forth 
the fruits of the Spirit.'''* " Grieve not the Spirit" 
of the Most High God, by a life opposed to his 
purifying, solemnizing, and sanctifying influence. 
Strive rather to invite him to the soul, by pre- 
senting, as his habitation, a heart conscious of its 
wants and diseases; a heart penitent and con- 
trite, seeking to be washed in the blood of atone- 
ment, and filled with desires after holiness and 
heaven, which he alone can satisfy. Adopt the 
simple but expressive language of the Psalmist, 
" Thou hast said unto me, seek ye my face : my 



62 SERMON III. 

heart hath said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I 
seek." 

3. The third and last lesson which I would in- 
culcate from the text is that expressly conveyed 
in its own words, " JYo man can say that Jesus is the 
Lord but by the Holy Ghost.^^ This, then, is one 
of the distinct influences of the Holy Spirit, to 
lead us to Jesus as " our Lord.''^ And had it not 
been my object to call your attention to a par- 
ticular subject, this is the chief topic to which the 
text would almost necessarily have called us. 
Bilt let nothing, my brethren, lead us wholly to 
pass over a subject of such high interest and vital 
importance, that, without a due regard to it, the 
clearest conceptions of doctrine and the strong- 
est efforts for improvement are of little substan- 
tial value. Christ is said, in one place, to be the 
" wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and re- 
demption of his creatures." In another, He is 
said to be "the end of the law for righteousness 
to them that believe." In other words, the law 
and every other part of the economy of religion 
is one vast apparatus, designed to conduct us to 
the faith, and the love, and the presence of the 
Redeemer. " He shall take," says our Lord him- 
self, speaking of the Holy Spirit, "of mine, and 
shall show it unto you." Here then, as to our- 
selves, is one great object of the ministration of 
the Spirit. If he does not lead us to " say Jesus 
is the Lord," — to acknowledge him practically 
and spiritually, as our Redeemer, our Saviour, 
our Teacher, our Example, — the whole of Scrip- 
ture is, as to us, a dead letter, and we have " re- 
ceived the grace of God in vain." Those, there- 
fore, are perhaps to be considered as, after all, 
the greatest enthusiasts, who pretend to the pos- 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLU£NCE. 63 

session of the Spirit, without feeling the love, or 
treading in the steps, of the Saviour of the world. 
Can the sun shine upon us without a ray of light 
beaming upon our path ? Neither can the Spirit 
act upon us while we receive not " Jesus" as our 
" Lord ;" while we are uninfluenced by his love, 
while we yield him a reluctant service, while the 
" same mind is not in us which was also in him." 
How truly does the language of the Prophet ap- 
ply to individuals in that state ! " He feedeth 
upon ashes ; a deceived heart hath turned him 
aside." Feed no longer, my brethren, on these 
"ashes" of a dead and worthless religion; 
escape from the ruinous delusions of a "deceiv- 
ed heart." Approach your Saviour for pardon, 
for light, for life, for a title to heaven, and a 
qualification for its enjoyments. Implore of him 
the gift of the Holy Ghost, that you may call 
him " Lord" now ; and that, at the last day, 
he may acknowledge you as his own, — may 
seat you upon his throne, and may say to you, 
" Well -done, good and faithful servant : enter 
thou into the joy of thy Lord." 



SERMON IV. 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE IN THE SANC- 
TIFICATION OF THE HEART AND CONDUCT. 



EPHES. V. 9. 

The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness^ and right- 
eousness, and truth. 

In a former discourse, an endeavour was made 
to ascertain the measure in which the assistance 
of the Holy Spirit was essential in " the study and 
use of the Scriptures,'''* In that discourse little 
comparatively was said on the necessity of Di- 
vine influence for the sanctification of the heart and 
conduct. But, as to this point, also, the ss^ne diffi- 
culty exists which was stated to prevail as to the 
other. It is possible, I conceive, to attribute 
certain habits of thinking, feeling, and acting, to 
the special influence of the Holy Spirit, which 
have a far lower origin. And therefore it is pos- 
sible to conceive ourselves the subjects of this 
sacred influence, when we have no claim to any 
such distinction. But if so, my brethren, of what 
transcendent importance is it that we should en- 
deavour, by Divine assistance, to escape from 
delusion on so vital a point; that we should 
" prove the spirits whether they be of God ;" 
that we should descend into the heart, and so 
analyze its affections and feelings as to be able 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE. 65 

to pass a precise and discriminating judgment 
on its real condition. Such is the object of the 
present discourse, in which, in dependence upon 
the Divine blessing, it is intended to examine. 
I. What useful or attractive (qualities a 

MAN MAY POSSESS BY NATURE. 

JI. What are the qualities which the Spirit 

OF God alone can impart to him. 
I. We are to inquire what useful or attrac- 
tive qualities a man MAY POSSESS BY NATURE. 

1. In the first place, then, he may, without the 
special influence of the Holy Spirit, be an honest 
man, — He may wish to rob no man of his earthly 
rights He may scorn and detest a lie. He may, 
if poor, refuse to eke out his scanty pittance by 
depredation upon the property of others. He 
may, if a tradesman, hold false weights, and 
measures, and the thousand shifts and evasions 
too common in the traffic of the world, in utter 
abhorrence. He may thus act and feel, and yet 
be a stranger to the sanctifying influence of the 
Holy Spirit. For he may possess all these qua- 
lities in common with the heathen who never 
heard of the true God ; or with the multitudes 
w^ho, having heard of Him, neglect or despise 
Him. He may have all these qualities without 
the smallest sense of his own sinfulness, and of 
his need of a Saviour ; or the slightest value for 
the word of God, for his church, his Sabbath, or 
his sacraments — without offering a single suppli- 
cation for mercy, or a single tribute of praise and 
gratitude to the God and Saviour of a guilty 
world. 

2. In the next place, a man may be mild and 
gentle in his temper^ without the sanctifying influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit. Nothing indeed can be 



66 SERMON IV. 

more obvious, than that such a temper may pre- 
vail in the man without the operation of any prin- 
ciple vi^hatever. Individuals notorious for the 
absence of piety, and for an addiction to gross 
immoralities, have been thus gifted. Whole na- 
tions have been discovered, remarkable at once 
for the absence of religion and the gentleness of 
their demeanour. The history of several hea- 
thens is preserved to us, who, by their calmness 
under injury and insult, might put to shame many 
possessed of higher advantages. — But, let me 
not be mistaken. It is far from my intention to 
deny, be their source what it will, the value of 
such dispositions of mind, either to the posses- 
sors themselves, or to those around them. On 
the contrary, they are to be considered as ingre- 
dients cast by the bountiful hand of the great 
Father of the universe into the cup of life, to 
sweeten its bitter waters. But what I am anx- 
ious to establish is the fact, that such tempers 
are no necessary evidence of the influence of the 
Holy Spirit on the heart. They are, indeed, al- 
ways present where real religion exists; but 
they are also found independent of religion. They 
may be religious ; they may have no connexion 
with religion ; they may be substituted for it, and 
even opposed to it ; and therefore, of themselves, 
can ajBTord no proof that the possessor of them is 
influenced by the Holy Spirit. 

3. In the third place, great benevolence or kind- 
ness may exist in the mind without the sanctify- 
ing influence of the Holy Spirit. — In some cases, 
it will at once be admitted that this feeling of 
kindness and tenderness is merely instinctive, 
and therefore independent of all principle ; as, 
for example, in the case of a parent to a child. 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE. 67 

In other cases, it is little more than enlarged self- 
love — a love of others for our own sake. And 
this is certain, that it is frequently found in minds 
wholly destitute of the love of God and of our 
gracious Redeemer. Many heathens have dis- 
played it under the most captivating forms. The 
most profligate individuals, at times, have dis- 
covered it, and in such proportions as to win the 
admiration of the unthinking multitude around 
them. Few indeed are the minds of such unbro- 
ken darkness and malignity that no ray of be- 
nevolence breaks over them. A celebrated tra- 
veller asserts that, especially in one sex, he 
never failed to find tenderness where he abso- 
lutely needed it. Indeed, there appear to be 
certain sympathies in almost every mind which 
a sufficient measure of calamity will awaken ; 
sympathies which even those who think the worst 
of human nature will allow to exist, and which 
are to be considered as the lovely and precious 
relics of that original nature given to our first pa- 
rents, and forfeited at the Fall. And these sym- 
pathies, when called into action, will, even in 
the absence of Christian principles, render the 
most important services to society; will vent 
themselves in the erection of schools and hospi- 
tals ; will " dive into the depths of dungeons," 
lighten the chain of the prisoner, soften the an- 
guish of disease, and bind up many a broken 
heart. But, notwithstanding these precious 
fruits, such sympathies are not necessarily the 
fruit of religion, or any unequivocal testimony to 
the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

4. In the fourth place, a man may be the ardent 
lover of his country^ or of the public good^ without the 
^sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit. — I name 



68 SERMON IV. 

this quality on account of the high value attach- 
ed to it in society. But surely nothing can be 
more obvious than that a man may thus live for 
the glory of his country ; may sacrifice his life on 
the altar of her Hberties ; may, at the foot of the 
throne, gloriously assert the rights of the people 
against a tyrant, or discharge the less popular, 
and therefore more difficult, duty of maintaining 
the rights of a sovereign against a deluded and 
murmuring people — he may do all this, and yet 
be without genuine religion. It has pleased a 
merciful God to preserve, amidst the wreck of 
our fallen nature, certain elements of patriotism 
— certain feelings of attachment to our home, 
our country, and our fellow-men — which are de- 
signed, in the absence of better feelings, to rear 
up a barrier against invasion, or usurpation, or 
oppression, and to render the hearts of a people 
the bulwarks of public safety. Such feelings 
are, indeed, sometimes among the best bulwarks 
of religion; but they are altogether distinct from 
religion. They are often the issue of mere sym- 
pathy; and often of ambition, or vanity, or the 
love of fame. They are sometimes found in com- 
bination with indifference, or even with the most 
decided hostility to the interests of spirituality 
and godliness. 

5. In the fifth place, a man may possess mvch 
merely formal religion^ without the sanctifying influ- 
ences of the Holy Spirit, — Many of the Jews, for 
instance, thus sacrificed the substance of religion 
to its mere forms — the " spirit" to the " letter." 
The profligate Herod even " heard John gladly," 
and was willing to "do many things" — although 
not to make the sjreat sacrifice which God re- 



NECESSITY OF DIVIXE LXFLUENCE. 69 

quired. And such characters are bj no means 
rare in society. Sometimes their religion is 
purely mechanical ; the result of early custom, 
or example, or accident. Sometimes it is no- 
thing better than the homage of hypocrisy to the 
world around them. Sometimes, especially 
what may be called f)ublic and congregational 
religion, is mere sympathy with the feelings and 
affections of others, attachment to a particular 
minister, the love of excitement, the taste for 
eloquence, or fine reasoning, or profound specu- 
lation. Follow some of the apparently anxious 
listeners in a crowded auditory to the retirement 
of their closets : you find that their zeal has eva- 
porated, and that coldness and indiflference have 
at once taken the place of emotion and earnest- 
ness. You will discover, perhaps in the most 
eager of them, a poor, heartless, unaffected sup- 
plicant for blessings which he does not value, 
for pardon of which he does not feel the need, 
for grace which it is the business of his life to re- 
sist and extinguish. Sympathy with religious 
feeling, or excitement under the flashes of elo- 
quence, or sensibility under the messages of ten- 
derness and love, is not religion. Precise confor- 
mity to outward rites, from custom, or for the 
mere sake of decency, or family concord, is not 
religion. These are not to be confounded with 
the workings of a mind, or the habits of a life, 
consecrated, with zeal and intenseness, to God 
and holiness ; or with those " fruits of the Spirit 
which are in all goodness, righteousness, and 
truth." They may exist independently of the 
penitential sorrows, and conflicts, and labours 
of the contrite heart ; or of the love of a crucifi- 



70 SERMON IV. 

ed Saviour, which glows in the breasts of those 
real converts, who have responded to the call of 
God, " My son, give me thy heart." Neither do 
they necessarily indicate the actings of a spirit 
whose daily, heartfelt, honest, triumphant lan- 
guage it is, " God forbid that 1 should glory, save 
in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

But I am insensibly encroaching upon the 
next point proposed for our consideration. 

II. We are to consider, secondly, for what 

QUALITIES WE MUST BE INDEBTED TO THE SpIRIT OF 

God alone. 

1. In the first place, those very qualities, which 
may exist independently of the sanctifying influence of 
the Spirit ofGod^ will, without it, be defective in their 
motive and character. 

Take, for example, one of the most valuable 
of those qualities we have already named, as 
sometimes discovering itself in the character of 
a mere man of the world ; I mean benevolence, or 
a disposition of kindness to others. To what does it 
amount in the bosom of such an individual? It 
has no right principle, no pure motive, no fixed 
rule, no adequate object. It is liable to bend 
to interest, to be wearied by use or disappoint- 
ment, and to be warped or extinguished by pas- 
sion. It regards the bodies, but neglects the 
souls, of our suffering fellow-creatures. It sup- 
plies some of their wants, but is little occupied 
with the cure of those moral evils which are 
the grand source of their misery. It labours 
perhaps to nourish the perishing tenement of 
clay, in which the immortal spirit dwells, and 
blindly leaves that very spirit under the influence 
of that ignorance and those unsanctified lusts and 
passions which shut men out from the kingdom 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE. 71 

of God, and prepare them for the society of the 
devil and his angels. Is this indeed the case ? 
Then, I ask, what will become of the high pre- 
tensions of this unsanctified benevolence when 
the archangel calls the dead to judgment ; when 
the pillars of the earth shake under us; when, 
torn from all our earthly delusions, we stand 
trembling before our God; when the Judge of 
quick and dead inquires into the character and 
conduct of the myriads who stand before him? 
What will then be the estimation in which this 
man of mere benevolence will be held ? What 
will he be found to have achieved for God and 
for his own soul? What will appear to have 
been the benefits he has impartc^i to the perish- 
ing sinners around him ? Perhaps, however 
unintentionally, he may by his very kindness have 
assisted to lull them in false security, to stifle 
the remonstrances of conscience, to turn away 
their eyes from the only source of real and per- 
manent joy. Had he been actuated by true 
Christian benevolence, it would have been his 
holy endeavour to unveil to them the corruption 
of their hearts, their lost state as unpardoned 
and unconverted sinners, the infinite value of a 
Redeemer's blood, the all-sufficient influence of 
the Holy Spirit. He would have treated them 
as creatures at once guilty and miserable, stand- 
ing on the edge of eternity. He would have 
taught them to •' waich," to '' pray," and, in the 
name and strength of their Lord, to contend 
with their inward corruptions, " with the pow- 
ers of darkness," and with the profligacy of the 
world. How will the titles and honours confer- 
red on such a man, perhaps by the voice of 
whole nations upon earth, shrink to nothing 



72 SERMON IV. 

amidst the fires of the great day ! What sha- 
dowy possessions will they become to the indivi- 
dual himself! And how unprofitable will even 
his fancied virtues then discover themselves to 
be to the whole creation of God ! " If any have 
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." 

2. But, secondly, some qualities can have no ex- 
istence in the mind except by the saving influence of the 
Holy Spirit. — It is true, as has been more than 
once stated, that there survive in our fallen na- 
ture certain natur:^! and instinctive feelings of 
kindness and benevoletice. But they survive 
amidst the ruins of ali that was noblest and best 
in our original constitution. There exists not, in 
the soul unvisited by the Holy Spirit, any really 
spiritual and heavenly affections, any desire to 
turn to God, the God of holiness and purity — to 
seek after Him who is the Father, the Governor, 
the Saviour, the Sanctifier, the Judge of the 
world. It is the exclusive office of the Holy 
Spirit, first to kindle these desires in the soul; 
and when kindled, to lead us on to a course of 
action corresponding with them. Without this 
sacred influence, we have neither the will nor 
the power to turn to God, and to yield ourselves 
to his service. In the language of our Church, 
" we have no power to do good works pleasant 
and acceptable to God, without the grace of 
God, by Christ, preventing us. that we may have 
a good will, and working with us when we have 
that good will." And this sentiment is the accu- 
rate transcript of the language of Holy Writ — 
" not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, 
saith the Lord." It is by the Holy Spirit that 
the love of God is said to be " shed abroad in 
the heart." It is by the Holy Spirit we are en- 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE. 73 

tabled to approach God, and to " call him Mba^ 
Father!" It is by the aid of his Spirit we are 
said to '^ know his words," to " walk in his sta- 
tutes," to " mortify the deeds of the body," to 
" pray," to " beheve," to " obey," to be " wash- 
ed, to be justified, to be sanctified." In short, 
my brethren, all those qualities which may be 
called by one general name, *' spirituav'' — that 
is, all the qualities which respect God, the Sa- 
viour, the soul, and eternity^-all these the Holy 
Spirit introduces into the heart, and perpetuates 
there. He is their Author and their Preserver : 
He sows the seed, and waters it with the dew of 
his blessing : He lights the flame, and supplies 
it with perpetual fuel : He lays the foundation, 
and erects upon it the lofty and stable super- 
structure. " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, 
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, faith, meek» 
ness, and temperance." Even the very quali- 
ties to which we have before referred, of meek- 
ness, and justice, and benevolence, can exist on- 
ly in a most imperfect form without Him; but of 
all the higher, purer, qualities and graces — those 
which link us to heaven, which associate us with 
the Son of God, which constitute our glory in 
the eyes of the angels of God, which prepare 
and qualify us for a blessed immortality — the 
Spirit, and the Spirit alone, is the Living Foun- 
tain, the Beginning and the End. And what, 
my brethren, after all, is man without these quali- 
ties? Take some flattered and favoured pos- 
sessor of this world's virtues, who is at the same 
time without the love of God in his soul. Is not 
this single blot in his character sufficient to dark- 
en all his other pretensioTis } Compare his case 
with that of another individual. Suppose a man 
K 



74 SERMON IV. 

with a high reputation for justice and kindness; 
but he has one fault : he neglects, he resists, he 
disobeys, he hates and outrages a tender Fa- 
ther. Do you call him virtuous now ? Does 
not this vice, like a thick cloud, shade all the 
brightness of his character in your eyes ? Do 
you not now regard his show of virtue as a mere 
mask and mockery — as a whited sepulchre, 
hiding beneath it bones and rottenness ? Sure- 
ly then you are bound to come to the same de- 
cision with regard to the man who, however 
adorned with the show of moral virtue, has not 
in his soul the love of God his Father, and of 
Christ his Saviour. 1 say nothing of the defects 
of his justice, or kindness, or benevolence, 
though all these qualities are inevitably of stunt- 
ed growth in the heart unvisited and unwarmed 
by the love of God and a Redeemer. But I 
speak especially of the want of that very love to 
his Creator and Redeemer. And, suppose him 
with all the moral qualities of an angel, yet, if 
he want this, I must contend that he is, as yet, a 
rebel against his Father's authority, and there- 
fore unworthy of commendation. Tell us not of 
his "justice:" is he just to God.'* Tell us not 
of his " meekness ;" does he acknowledge and 
feel the long-suffering and tenderness of the 
Redeemer ? Tell us not of his " love :" does 
he love the Saviour who loved him, and bought 
him with his own most precious blood ? Does 
he act, even when his actions are the purest, 
from a right motive, on a right principle, with a 
right object .'^ Is he not "living without God" 
in a world where all is the work of God, all the 
property of God; where all was lighted up bj 
one touch of his hand, and will be extinguished 



NECESSITY OF DIVINE INFLUENCE. 75 

by another ? Is he not paying back the love 
of Christ with indifference, his graces with ne- 
glect, and, by daily acts of sin and worldliness, 
" crucifying the Son of God afresh ?" My 
Christian brethren, the day is rapidly approach- 
ing w^hen the pretensions of all are to be deter- 
mined. Then we know that all the impenitent 
and unconverted shall " mourn apart." But, 
perhaps, amidst that miserable company, there 
will not be a more miserable creature than he 
who has been substituting names for things, 
worldly virtues for spiritual graces, scanty and 
irregular kindnesses to men for deep devotion, 
and faith, and love to the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Spirit; and who, buoyed up for a time 
by his self-conceit, or the flattery of others, 
sinks at length into the awful gulf prepared for 
all that " love not the Lord Jesus Christ in 
sincerity." 

In bringing these observations to a close, I 
must be permitted, in the first place, to guard 
against an abuse ; and, in the next place, to point 
out the proper W5e of the doctrine w^e have been 
endeavouring to establish. 

1. In the first place, then, let me guard yoa 
against any such abuse of the subject we have 
been considering, as to conceive that because cer- 
tain moral or benevolent dispositions and practices are 
not necessarily the fruits of the Spirit ; therefore a 
man under the influence of the Holy Spirit may tcant 
these qualities. — Consider, my Christian brethren, 
amongst a multitude of other passages, the lan- 
guage of the text ; " the fruit of the Spirit is in all 
goodness and righteousness^ and truth.^^ Wherever, 
therefore, the Holy Ghost is in possession of the 
heart, as infallibly as the effect will follow the 



76 SERMON IV. 

cause, will these dispositions, and the acts which 
flow from them, display themselves in the temper 
and life. You wonder that the world should 
often calumniate the doctrine of Divine influence 
as the tenet of enthusiasm and imposture. But have 
none of the pretenders to this sacred influence 
on their own souls furnished a pretext for such 
aspersions? "By their fruits ye shall know 
them." Bring yourselves to this practical test : 
search into your character for every quality 
which is the proper fruit of the Spirit; and, 
amongst others, for those qualities by which some 
worldly individuals are characterized. Have 
you the very " honesty," " meekness," " kind- 
ness," which they manifest.^ Have you these 
qualities in a higher degree, and of a nobler cast, 
than themselves? Strive, by the grace of God, 
to surpass them even in what is, as it were, their 
peculiar and staple produce. Strive that in a 
world where religion has many enemies, she may 
be '* justified by" the purity and loveliness of 
her " children." Let it be visible in every act 
of your lives that " ye are washed and sanctified, 
in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit 
of your God." 

2. In the last place, let me add, that the pro- 
per ?/5c of the preceding observations is evident- 
ly this, to set yourselves to the task of earnest and de- 
vout supplication to God for the sanctifying influence of 
his Spirit on your own soids^ and that of all in whom 
you are interested. — What a happiness is it, my 
brethren, that, in touching upon the infinite value 
of this sacred influence on the soul, I am not 
speaking to you of an unattainable good — of a 
" pearl" so " hid," as that the hand only of a few 
may be permitted to reach it. It is the gift of 



NECESSITY OP DIVINE INFLUENCE. 77 

God, and the purchase of a Saviour^s blood: 
therefore seek it from Him who has promised to 
" send the Comforter" to you. It is his gift to 
all who desire it : therefore let " whosoever will" 
go to this " fountain" of life. It is his gift to 
those who pray : therefore seek it in prostration 
of soul at the foot of the Cross. Thus draw near 
to Him, who has pledged himself " to give the 
Holy Spirit to them that ask it," and you shall 
enjoy his precious influences, and be imbued 
with all his graces. He will supply you with 
holy thoughts, and pure desires, and strong re- 
solutions, and heavenly affections. He will 
" take of the things of Christ, and shew them to 
the soul." He will " reveal" the Saviour to you 
in a manner in "which he does not reveal him- 
self to the world." He will give you the " good- 
ness, and righteousness, and truth," which are 
the unchangeable elements of the Christian cha- 
racter, and " the crown" and perfection of the 
spirits in glory. Strive, then, to win for your- 
selves, not the applause of the world, but the ap- 
probation of God. Covet for yourselves, and 
for those you love, the fulfilment of that glorious 
promise: "I will pour water upon him that is 
thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will 
pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing 
upon thine offspring." 



SERMON y. 



LIFE A RACE, 



HEB. xii. 1, 2. 



Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so 
great a cloud of witnesses^ let us lay aside every 
weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us^ and 
let us run with patience the race which is set before 
us ; looking unto Jesus^ the Author and Finisher of 
our faith. 

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews was 
not of a disposition to contemplate the triumphs 
of religion, in any age or country, as a mere 
pageant designed to calch the eye, without in- 
fluencing the conduct of himself or his country- 
men. Accordingly, having, in the chapter which 
precedes the text, surveyed and recorded these 
triumphs, he proceeds, in the present chapter, to 
draw from them the lessons they are calculated 
to teach. Let us endeavour, in dependence upon 
the Divine blessing, to follow the track of his 
argument. 

It is not unusual, in labouring to kindle the 
valour of the untried or shrinking soldier, to re- 
mind him of those who have fought in the same 
field, arid conquered the same enemies with 
whom he is about to contend. And it is deemed 
a still higher encouragement if we can point to 



LIFE A RACE. 79 

the commander by whom the successful warfare 
was conducted, and assure the doubtful comba- 
tant that he shall guide the march and head the 
enterprise in the day of battle. And such is pre- 
cisely the mode employed by the Apostle in the 
text, to kindle the valour of the soldier of the 
Cross of Christ. The eleventh chapter of this 
JEpistle presents us with an abridged history of 
the conflicts and successes of the children of God 
in all past ages. In the text he collects, in one 
point of view, these victorious combatants; 
fastens our eyes first upon them, and then upon 
the great " C'aptain of our salvation" under whom 
they fought and conquered ; represents them as 
even at this moment compassing us about on 
every side, and points to their trophies as so 
many pledges of our own victory. This imagery 
is probably borrowed from some celebrated 
games of antiquity, at which the ancient sages 
and warriors were accustomed to assemble, for 
the purpose of observing and animating the va- 
rious combatants in the struggle, and assigning 
the prize to the victor. But it is not my wish to 
dwell more at present on this allusion of the 
Apostle, as we shall have occasion to recur to it 
in a more advanced stage of this discourse. 
Neither is it my intention, on the present occa- 
sion, to treat at any length of the encouragement 
supplied to the timid or doubtful Christian by 
the example of the Redeemer he serves and 
loves. Reserving this point for a future discourse, 
it is my present intention mainly to consider the 
encouragement which springs from the contem- 
plation of the success of those fellow -soldiers who 
have preceded us in the race and conflicts of 
religion. To this end let us notice, 



HO SERMON V. 

I. The duty enjoined by the apostle in the 

TEXT. 

Q. The means by which this duty is to be 

PERFORMED. 

III. The encouragement he gives us to em- 
ploy THOSE means. 

And may it please Him who is termed, in the 
next verse of the chapter, " the Author and Fi- 
nisher of our faith," to bless this inquiry to the 
souls of all engaged in it ! 

I. In the first place, we are to consider the 

DUTY WHICH IS HERE ENJOINED BY THE ApOSTLE. 

It is stated in these words; ^'' Let us run with pa- 
tience the race that is set before us.. 

In those ancient games to which I have refer- 
red, one of the chief contests was a " race," in 
which it was not unusual for the chiefs of Greece, 
and even of neighbouring countries, to contend 
for victory. And it is this image which the 
Apostle has chosen, as peculiarly descriptive of 
the duties of mankind in the present state of be- 
ing. Let us endeavour to consider what are the 
duties which seem to be implied in this image of 
a " race." 

1. In the^r5/ place, then, the comparison of 
life to " a racej'' plainly teaches us to consider it 
a:s a state of exertion and struggle. — No image, in- 
deed, can be more distinctly opposed to a &tate 
of indolence and drowsiness. But does the ordi- 
dinary conception men appear to entertain of the 
life which God requires of his servants, corres- 
pond with this imagery ? On the contrary, is it 
not too often supposed that little is demanded of 
us but a frame of mind and manners easily reach- 
ed and as easily maintained ? It is not the po- 



LIFE A RACE. 8l 

pular conception, that, if not actually born " the 
children of God," baptism and an education, 
however defective as to the attainment of all 
spiritual objects, are sufficient in every case to 
bring us to that state, and a few formal and heart- 
less acts of devotion to confirm us in it? In the 
mean time, little of the corruption of the heart is 
felt, little self-denial practised, little zeal, or hu- 
mility, or patience, little love to God, faith in 
Christ, or benevolence to those for whom he 
shed his blood, is cherished or displayed. A 
freedom from gross vice, a general quietness and 
courtesy of manners, a few unmeaning religious 
expressions, occasional acts of tardy and reluct- 
ant benevolence, are received as sufficient evi- 
dence of a heart right w^ith God, and prepared 
for heaven. But how different is the conception 
of religion presented to us in the text. In a 
'• race," and particularly such as that which was 
in the mind of the Apostle, the most distinguish- 
ed individuals vrere competitors, and all was 
ardour and exertion. And, throughout the Scrip- 
tures, the duties of life are continually repre- 
sented under the figures of the like character. 
They are compared to the anxious watching of 
the sentinel, to the arming for battle, to the 
agonies of the wrestler. We are commanded 
to " work out our own salvation with fear and 
trembling" — to " give diligence to make our 
calling and election sure" — to " press towards 
the mark for the prize of our high calling of God 
in Christ Jesus." Life, in fact, is to be regarded 
as a perpetual struggle, to reach, under God, 
the heavenly goal. If you are real servants of 
God, your '' eyes prevent the night watches, that 
you may wait upon him." You labour to fill 
L 



g2 



SERMON V. 



every hour with its appropriate duties. AVhile 
others are halting, or doubting, or reposing on 
the lap of indulgence, or loitering in the paths of 
trifling or vicious amusement, you are planning 
or executing some new enterprise of duty, or 
holiness, or usefulnes. When the thoughtless 
people of Israel were engaged in follies and re- 
vellings at the foot of the mount, the Prophet on its 
summit was employed in deep converse with his 
God, in solemn labours and struggles for his own 
salvation, and that of the guilty multitude below. 
And, in like manner, you must, " gird up your 
loins" for the race. You must remember, that 
the loss of time, in a state so brief and uncertain, 
may involve in it the loss of pardon, of grace, of 
the favour of God, of the love of Christ, of pre- 
sent peace, and of future glory. You must an- 
swer those who ask from you more hours for 
worldly objects, and less for religion, as Nehe- 
miah answered the messengers entreating him to 
come down and rejoice on the plain : " I am do- 
ing a great work, so that I cannot come down : 
why should the work cease while I leave it and 
come down to you ?" 

2. A second idea implied in the image of the 
text, is that o^ progress. — x\dvancement is one of 
the essential features of a contest such as that 
referred to by the Apostle. And it is thus in the 
Christian life. It is not altogether the point in 
religion we may have reached, but the disposition 
to go forward which, bespeaks the true servant of 
God. Natural disposition, education, the habits 
of those with whom we reside, the character of 
the age in which we live, may carry men uncon- 
sciously, and almost reluctantly, to a certain 
point in outward religion. But, if we remain sa- 
tisfied with our present attainments, this at once 



LIFE A RACE. 83 

proves us to be deficient in genuine pietj. A 
deep sense of guilt, of unprofitableness, of defi- 
ciency, will every where accompany the real 
servant of God. " What is man," was the lan- 
guage of David, " that thou art mindful of him ?" 
And '• who am I,' is the language of the Christian, 
' that I should hope to be admitted into the fa- 
mily of God? Why am I thus backward in the 
race, thus cold, and careless, and worldly, and 
selfish, if 1 hope to dwell with God for ever ? In 
this frame of mind, therefore, " forgetting the 
things which are behind," he " presses toward 
the mark." He binds the declaration upon his 
heart, "then shall we know, if we follow on to 
know the Lord ;" and, in the strength of it, like 
the prophet running before the chariot of the un- 
believing monarch of Israel, halts not till he 
reaches the city of his God. — But, such being 
the spirit of Scripture, and the practice of the 
real Christian, to what extent is the spirit of the 
world conformed to this model ? Is it asked, as 
our Lord inquired with regard to the thankless 
lepers, " where are the nine .'^" ' where are the 
multitudes who ought to be deploring their de- 
ficiencies, their deadness in divine things, their 
carnal hearts, their ingratitude to their Redeem- 
er ; and who ought to be labouring and praying 
for higher attainments in faith, and hope, and 
charity : for deeper love to Christ, and more in 
timate communion with God ?^ It may be an- 
swered — they are here, lolfing on the couch of 
indulgence ; basking in the sunshine of indolence 
and self-complacency; thanking God, it may be, 
for what they imagine they are, but forgetting 
what they certainly are not ; boasting of their su- 
periority to some poor penitent, who breathes 



84 SERMON V. 

out in stifled accents the unutterable petitions 
of a contrite heart. — My brethren, it such is, in 
the smallest degree, the character of jour own 
religion, call upon God to awaken in you a deep 
sense of its utter worihlessness in his sight. "Woe 
to them who are (thus) at ease in Zion !" The 
Judge of the race has not planted himself half- 
way in the course, but at the goal ; and there 
alone will he bestow the prize. You must not 
be satisfied with partial purity or faith, with mo- 
mentary or temporary love to your Redeemer. 
The language of your heart must be, ' Lord, I 
am thine: take me to thyself; do with me what 
seemeth good unto thee; pardon me, cleanse 
me, change and sanctify me, not in part only, 
but altogether — " Save, Lord ! or we perish !" ' 
3. It is implied, thirdly, in the image of "a 
race," that the life of a Christian is a course pre- 
scribed mid regulated by the will of another, — In the 
race, the ground is marked out by the hand of 
the appointed judges. And religion, my Chris- 
tian brethren, is not the display of a few qualities, 
which may happen to be the most easy to our 
natural disposition, most attractive to our taste, 
or suitable to our convenience. It is not the 
culling and choosing from the commands of doc- 
trines of the Gospel, according to the caprices of 
fancy : or the substituting a sort of '^ will-wor- 
ship" for the requisitions of Scripture. It does not 
consist in faith, without practice; or in practice, 
without faith; in devotion, separated from duty; 
in love, apart from holy fear; in zeal, unaccom- 
panied by mildness, and lowliness, and charity. 
Religion is the believing all that God teaches, 
and endeavouring to be and to do o//that God re- 
quires. In other words, it is " running the race 
that is set before us.^^ In the contest for a worldly 



LIFE A RACE. 85 

prize, the competitor can seek only the appoint- 
ed goal, and that only by the path prescribed to 
him. And, as Christians, you must take your 
duties as they are prescribed to you by the Judge 
of all the earth. You must serve God in his ap- 
pointed way. You must not cut down the reli- 
gion of Scripture to the stinted dimensions which 
satisfy a world lying in darkness. You must not 
indulge the spirit which prompted the proud 
captain of old to ask, " Are not Abana and Phar- 
par, rivers of Damascus, better than all the wa- 
ters of Israel?" But, whatever be the course 
which Scripture points out, and to whatever of- 
fice or post of duty the Lord may call yoti, your 
language must be, ^' Speak, Lord, for thy servant 
heareth?" "Lord, here am I, send me." 

n. But I come, secondly, to consider the 

MEANS BY WHICH THE APOSTLE DIRECTS US TO AIM 
AT THE ACCO\IPLlSHlVIENT OF THESE DUTIES. 

They are thus stated ; " Let tis lay aside every 
weis;ht^ and the sin which doth so easily beset us^ 
and run with patience the race that is set before W5." 

The language of these injunctions is evidently 
borrowed from those games to which we have 
more than once alluded ; and in this point of view 
let us consider it. 

1. In the first place, we are required to "Zory 
aside every weighty and the sin which doth so easily be- 
set us^ — These expressions probably refer to the 
custom, in the ancient race, of the competitors 
casting away their garments, or any other incum- 
brance which might burden or entangle them in 
their progress. Interpreters have imagined the 
Apostle to have intended to designate, by these 
various expressions, particular classes of evils 
and temptations. But I rather conclude the 



B6 SERxMON V. 

main object of this variety of expression to be, 
to comprehend every thing in his statement 
which is apt to impede Us on the way to heaven ; 
whether it be the cares and anxieties of life, or 
the lusts, and passions, and prejudices to which 
we are prone. I am less disposed, however, now 
to insist upon any distinction between the differ- 
ent kinds of hindrances aUuded to, as it is my in- 
tention, in a future discourse, more especially to 
call your attention to a subject of " the sin which 
doth so easily beset us." On the present occa- 
sion, therefore,! would treat of these expressions 
as referring generally to every thing that may 
impede or entangle us in the race of life. And in 
this point of view, how perfectly does the lan- 
guage of the Apostle harmonize with other parts 
of Scripture ! " He that striveth for the mastery 
is temperate in all things." " No man that war- 
reth, entangleth himself with the affairs of this 
world, that he may please him who hath chosen 
him to be a soldier." " So run I, not as uncer- 
tainly ; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air; 
but I keep under my body, and bring into sub- 
jection." But if such is the language of Scrip- 
ture, how opposite to this are the spirit and prac- 
tice of the world! Can we, by any possible 
stretch of charity, construe the ordinary occupa- 
tions of many around us into such a preparation 
for the race of life ? Observe their lassitude in 
public and private worship ; the cold and indo- 
lent manner in which they read the Scriptures — 
if indeed they read them at all; — the levity of 
their conversation ; the total exhaustion of their 
time, spirit, and faculties, in the pursuits of busi- 
ness or of pleasure. Observe them fearlessly 
approaching to the very verge of gross vice; in- 



LIFE A RACE. 87 

dulging their appetites without restraint; living 
a life of mutual compliment, or insincerity, or 
evasion. Can these men be engaged in prepar- 
ing, by a holy discipline, for the contest with 
sin, the world, and the devil, to which they were 
pledged at the baptismal font ? Was it for this 
that their foreheads were there stamped with the 
Cross ? — My brethren, if indeed you are prepar- 
ing for this contest, by the help of God you must 
be denying yourself; you must be " crucifying 
the flesh, with its affections and lusts ;" you must 
be " putting on the whole armour of God ;" you 
must be living in the world as in an enemy's 
country, full of snares and dangers; you must be 
meeting its solicitations to remit toyour vigilance, 
in the spirit of Uriah, when he resisted the soli- 
citations of David : " The ark, and Israel, and Ju- 
dah, abide in tents, and are encamped in the open 
field : shall / then go into my house ? As thou 
livest, and as my soul liveth, I will not do this 
thing ?" You must feel in like manner, that the 
battle of the Lord is to be fought ; and that, while 
the hosts of his enemies are hovering over the 
camp, it is not for you to forsake his banner and 
slumber upon your post. 

2. But, secondly, you are commanded in the 
text to'' run the race with patience -^"^ or, as it might 
perhaps be more properly rendered, with " per- 
severance.''^ — " Ye did run well ; who did hinder 
you, that ye should not obey the truth? " is the 
expostulation of the Apostle with a body of men 
professing the Christian faith, but declining in 
love, and faith, and obedience to their Redeem- 
er. And numerous are the instances in which 
those who start in the race with alacrity, and 
give much promise of success, stop before they 



88 SERMON V. 

reach the goal and win the prize. We arc not 
to imagine, that, like bodies put in motion in an 
unresisting medium, we, when once impelled in 
the course of duty, shall necessarily, or natural- 
ly, or even easily, pursue it. We shall have 
many checks from inward corruption, from the 
love of the world, from indolence, from vanity, 
from cowardice, from irresolution, from occa- 
sional fluctuations in our faith, or temporary 
eclipses of our hope. We may have, also, other 
checks, from the assaults of the devil ; perhaps 
arguments suggested to the mind against reli* 
gion in general, against the serious devotion of 
ourselves to God, against the disposition of God 
to welcome and pardon us. We may be temp- 
ted to carelessness and to w^orldliness ; perhaps 
to despair, on one side, or to presumption, on 
the other; to self-righteousness and pride, to 
bigotry and harshness, to error in opinion or 
Antinomianism in practice. We may even be 
tempted to a " denial of the Lord who bought 
us ;" to a disregard of the means of grace, or of 
the sacred influence of the Holy Spirit upon the 
soul. But to all these difliculties it is for the 
true Christian to oppose the " shield of faith "— 
" the sword of the Spirit " — the unshrinking 
perseverance of a heart clothed in the panoply 
of Divine grace, and fortified by perpetual 
prayer and watchfulness. He must " set his 
face like a flint " against corruption. He must 
encounter his spiritual enemies in the temper of 
the young warrior of Israel : " Thou comest to 
me with a sword and a spear ; but I come to thee 
in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of tjie 
armies of Israel ;" and in that name we shall 
conquer. " Give diligence, then, my Christian 



LIFE A RACE. 89 

brethren, to make your calling and election 
sure ; for so an entrance shall be ministered to 
you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 

III. But we come, thirdly^ to consider the mo- 
tives BY WHICH THE TEXT ENCOURAGES US TO PER- 
SEVERANCE IN THE Christian race. 

And here, although it is myintention to examine 
in a distinct discourse the encouragement supplied to 
us by the conflicts and triumphs of our gracious Re- 
deemer^ and mainly to call your attention on the 
present occasion to those of men of like pas- 
sions with yourselves — yet, I cannot altogether 
pass over the first of these topics. 

1. Let the fainting Christian, therefore, begin 
hy fixing his eye upon the Cross of his Saviour. " Be- 
hold the Man !" or rather, Behold the God ! Be- 
hold Him who assumed your nature, to show you 
that success was possible, under God, to the 
possessors of that nature. As a Christian, you 
are indeed less prepared for this spiritual con- 
flict by any natural resources, than the contend- 
ers for any earthly prize. But here lies your 
superiority to every such competitor ; that, how- 
ever infirm in yourself, however incompetent 
from your natural endowments to the struggle to 
which you are called, you enjoy the privilege of 
lifting your eyes to Him who endured the cross, 
and commanding, if I may so speak, through 
him, all the resources of Omnipotence. — Have 
you wo faith? Christ is " the author" of it. Is 
your faith weak ? does the " flesh continue to 
lust against the Spirit?" do the cares, the at- 
tractions, the hurry and blandishments of life, 
press you to the earth, or beset you in the pro- 
2:ress of life? The Son of God sees vour diffi- 
M 



*^0 aERMON A- 

culties, is *• touched with the feeling ot our intir- 
mities," and " knows how to succour them that 
are tempted." He is exalted to be the " Prince 
and Saviour of his people." '^ Be strong," then, 
in the might of this compassionate Redeemer. 
Though others, as they watch you amidst the 
shock of the battle, may fancy that you contend 
single-handed, and that your defeat is certain ; 
you, by the eye of faith, discover " the sign of 
the Son of Man in the air." You know that he 
guides the march, and heads the war ; that the 
hosts of God are encamped around you ; that 
God himself is in the seemingly dark cloud 
which hangs over you; and you hear a voice from 
the midst of it saying, " Fear not, for 1 am with 
you; be not dismayed, for I am your God." In 
this confidence go on, " conquering and to con- 
quer." 

2. But look next to the source of encourage- 
ment to which it is especially my wish, on the 
present occasion, to call your attention, and 
which is presented to us in those words of the 
text, " Seeing we are compassed about with so great 
a cloud of witnesses J^^ 

In this passage, as I have before observed, the 
servants of God, in all ages and countries, who 
have died in faith, are summoned before you, as 
so many witnesses of the power of religion, and 
of the compassion of God and of the Redeemer. 
The conduct of some of the professed servants of 
the Lord upon earth may sometimes distress us. 
But look above, my Christian brethren, and you 
see a multitude hang over you, from their num- 
bers like a cloud ; and who, like the pillar of 
cloud accompanying the Israelites in the desert, 
may serve to guide you in the pilgrimage of life. 



LIFE A HACK. 91 

Regard them not with indifference. They are 
so many "witnesses" that, be your difficulties 
and dangers what they will, victory is not only 
possible, but certain^ to the true believer. Let the 
following points continually be kept in view, as 
you contemplate those who have thus preceded 
you in the race of religion. 

In the first place, they were all men of like hi- 
firmities and corruptions with yourselves. — It is not 
indeed, from the brevity of Scripture narra- 
tive, possible, in every case, to demonstrate 
this ; but yet enough of defect* discovers itself 
in the history of the most of them to leave us no 
reasonable doubt on the subject. Consider, for 
example, the cases of Noah and of Lot, of Abra- 
ham in the court of Abimelech, of Jacob at the 
dying bed of his father, of David, and of Solo- 
mon. The offences of these distinguished indi- 
viduals are recorded, I doubt not, with the view, 
not indeed of confirming the presumption of the 
careless, but of binding up the heart of the true 
penitent. Behold them as they compass you 
about, a sliining assembly, rescued from the 
grasp of corruption, and installed into the glories 
of heaven. Are tjou tempted? so were they. 
Have you sometimes yielded to temptation ? so 
did they. Have you many formidable barriers 
opposed to your progress ? so had they. And 
yet, under God, how complete their victory! 
Search, my brethren, for the particular case you 
want amidst these worthies of the church of 
God. Do you desire an example, even in the 
remotest ages, of steady and consistent faith in 
an atonement ? look at Abel. Do you ask for 
an instance of deep and intimate communion 
with God ? look at Enoch, Do vou seek a case 



9^ ' SERMON V. 

of wise and holy superiority to custom and po- 
pular opinion ? look at Noah. Do you ask for a 
specimen of indifference to the world ? look at 
Abram and his family, " living in tents," and 
" looking for a city which hath foundations." 
Do you seek for a case of honest resistance to 
splendid and powerful temptations ? fix your eye 
upon Moses in the court of Pharaoh. Do you 
ask for witnesses that God " never leaves nor 
forsakes" his true servants ? then look at the 
collective history of all these illustrious indivi- 
duals. " By faith" they conquered ; by " the 
help of their God they leaped over the wall;" 
difficulties vanished before them, like the army 
of Sennacherib before the destroying angel. 

But consider, secondly^ with regard to the ser- 
vants of God gone before us, that^owr Saviour 
offers you the very instrument by which their victories 
were achieved, " By faith" they conquered, and 
this faith is promised to your prayers. The 
same treasure-house of mercy is open, the same 
Throne of Grace invites you, the same gracious 
God still sits between the cherubim. The Sa- 
viour, who was, at best, indistinctly known to 
many of these our elder brethren in the church 
of God, has lived and died among us ; and his 
language to every one of us is, " Fear not, — for 
I am the First and the Last, and have the keys of 
hell and of death." 

But, I must here cut short this examination, 
that I may press upon you, in conclusion, one or 
two of those practical considerations which seem 
to arise out of it. 

1. In the first place, let us learn /rom these ob- 
servations to derive due encouragement from the death 
of the real servants of God. — My brethren, ^our 



LIFE A RACE, 93 

' heart may be bleeding from the infliction of some 
heavy domestic loss. Deach may have touched 
you at some vital point ; may have taken from 
you your companion — ^your tender, fond, for- 
bearing, forgiving friend — your soul's dehght 
and comforter. Under the tremendous pressure 
of the blow, you are tempted, it may be, to mur- 
mur or despair. You call to mind the blessings 
which are gone ; you shudder to think of the 
guide you have lost ; you fear to stem the tide 
of life and encounter its difficulties alone. You 
are tempted almost to question the love of that 
God who could so heavily afflict you. But, I 
would ask, is there nothing, even in the death of 
these cherished individuals, to compose, to as- 
sure, to establish the soul ? Had you there no 
evidence of the power of faith, and triumphs of 
lowliness, and constancy, and love ? Had you 
nothing to convince you that it is not merely in 
the sunshine of life, or merely when the comforts 
of the present are veiling to us the terrors of the 
future ; but even on the edge of the grave, when 
every earthly stay is gone, that the Lord is an 
ever-present and all-sufficient Comforter — that 
the Master we serve can sustain the sinking 
soul, and surround us with scenes of glory which 
still every clamour of conscience, and fill the 
doubting heart with peace and joy ? Nor is this 
all. Does not the very language of the text car- 
ry high consolation along with it.'* Is it not 
much, to see the friends we fondly love, and who 
are gathered to a Father's bosom, represented 
as surrounding us while we wander in this val- 
ley of tears; as sympathizing with our trials, 
and anxiously awaiting our deliverance ? Well 
may we, as we contemplate them in the visions 



94 SERiMUN \. 

of faith, exclaim, " Thanks be unto God, who 
giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ our 
Lord !" Our triumphs will eventually be theirs. 
In the mean time, their triumphs are already ours. 
Their conquests are so many proofs that we may 
conquer. What need we any other " witnesses" 
to the power of religion ? The " cloud" which 
surrounds us dispels our fears, and assures the 
fainting soul. O may every mourner, animated 
by these reflections, come forth from the cham- 
ber of affliction a man of another spirit, renew- 
ed in mind, and principle, and temper, really to • 
" spend and be spent" in the service of so ten- 
der and all-powerful a Master ! 

2. Finally^ Let the text lead us to labour so to 
live and die, as to afford the same encouragement 
to our own successors which we derive from the 
servants of God who have preceded us. We 
are " witnesses," my brethren, for the God we 
serve, and the principles we profess. Men will 
naturally judge of both from the character of our 
own lives. What, then, is the testimony we bear 
to religion ? Dare the ministers of religion ap- 
peal to our devotion, our faith, our holy obedi- 
ence, our patience, our lowliness, our tenderness, 
as to so many " witnesses" for the Gospel of 
Christ ? Can they confidently direct the eye of 
the enemy of the Gospel to us, and say, " Be- 
hold a man moulded and formed on the princi- 
ples which we are prescribing ?" O my breth- 
ren, how high and solemn is the trust reposed, 
as to this point, in every servant of Christ ! The 
ark of the Lord is committed to us ; let it not be 
defiled or dishonoured in our hands. Pray for 
h firm and unfaltering spirit in religion. Pray 
that we mav not do the work of the Lord de- 



J^IFE A RACE. 9^ 

ceitlully. Pray for a more simple dependence 
upon the merits of the Saviour and the grace of 
the Holy Spirit. Pray that the Divine image, 
once stamped upon man, and forfeited at the 
Fall, may, in some small measure, be reflected 
in the " righteousness and true holiness" of our 
ovrn character. And, finally, may those who 
shall be called upon at some future day, vt^hen 
we are consigned to the chambers of the silent 
grave, to encourage the fainting souls of the ser- 
vants of the Lord, be able to point to us, as 
among the cloud of w^itnesses whose lives and 
deaths proclaim the holiness, the usefulness, 
and the happiness of true religion ! 



f 



f> 



side 



SERMON VI. 

THE BESETTING SIN. 

HEBREWS xii. I. 
The sin which doth so easily beset us. 

The husbandman, in cultivating the fruits of 
the earth, soon discovers that he has to contend, 
not merelj with those blights and frosts which 
are the common enemies of all vegetation, but 
with certain specific evils which are the distinct 
enemies of each peculiar production. And it is 
thus in the cultivation of the heart. The spir- 
itual labourer is not long in discovering that he 
has to struggle, not merely with the general cor- 
ruptions of our fallen nature, but with certain 
distinct passions, tempers, and appetites, which 
are the peculiar obstacles of each individual. 
It is to these more specific and peculiar tenden- 
cies of our nature that divines have commonly 
applied the language of the text, and to which 
they have assigned the name of the " besetting 
sin." The subject being one of great impor- 
tance, 1 feel a strong desire to draw your atten- 
tion to it. In so doing, it is my design to con- 
sider more especially, 
^~ Some of the means by which we may be 

ASSISTED IN the DETECTION OF OUR BESET- 
TING SIN : and. 



THE BESET TlxNli 6 IN. 97 



II. Some of the means by which we mAYg 

BEST hope to be DELIVERED FROM IT 

Let us not, my Christian brethren, enter upon 
the inquiry without earnestly supplicating the 
assistance of the Holy Spirit, to preserve us, 
during the course of it, from the influence both 
of our general and more peculiar corruption, 
and from that delusion and self-deception which 
it is apt to produce. 

I. In the/r^/ place, then, we are to consider some 

OF the means by which WE MAY BE ASSISTED 
IN THE DETECTION OF OUR BESETTING SIN. — It CSLll 

scarcely be necessary to premise, both that 
many cases will, after all, elude our powers of 
investigation, and that every case must be ex- 
amined in dependence upon the aid of the 
Holy Spirit. But, to those coming to this in- 
quiry in a spirit of seriousness, simplicity, and 
affectionate dependence on the teaching of the 
Holy Ghost, the following plain rules may not 
iperhaps be altogether useless. ^ 

pT 1. And, first, we may be, in some instances, 
assisted in the discovery of the besetting sin, by 
considering what are the faults most common to men 
of our own temperament and constitution. — The same 
soil has, under the like circumstances, a ten- 
dency to throw out the same weeds ; and the 
offences of nature, constituted alike, will, in 
many instances, bear a strong resemblance to 
each other. Am I, therefore, of a sanguine tem- 
perament; what (let me ask) are the most fre- 
quent defects and offences of the sanguine ? 
Is my nature, on the contrary, cold and phleg- 
matic; what are commonly the besetting sinsofthe 
cold ? Am I constitutionally timid ; what are the 
N 



ii 



c 



98 



SERMON VI. 



t 



• 



l^usual defects of the timid ? Am I bold ; what are 
I ^he more usual sins of a high and daring spirit ? 
Nor let it be objected to this scrutiny into the 
faults of others when in search of our own, that 
it will tend to cherish a habit of severity towards 
those around us. To scrutinize the defects of 
others with no object, or a bad one, is to endan- 
ger both humility and Christian love. But, in 
the present instance, where we are searching 
for the materials, not of vanity, but of 
humility and self-abasement, we may hope that 
the compassion of the Saviour will preserve us 
from the perils of the employment. Go forth, 
therefore, thou who canst discover so little of 
corruption in thyself, into the common walks of 
life, and survey the great company of those who 
are " men of like passions with yourselves." Be- 
hold that self-complacent Pharisee ,• that empty 
formalist; that " lover of pleasure rather than lov- 

fof God ;" that anxious bustler in the concerns 
a perishing world, and trifler with eternity ; 
at opposer of faith to works, or works to faith A 
that mere professor, with his creed lodged in his 
memory, but excluded from his heart ; that trai- 
tor to his Lord, confessing him with his lips, but 
crucifying him afresh by his daily temper and 
practice. Contemplate these various classes 
and characters; compare yourself with them; 
inquire whether the same temperament is not be- 
traying you into the like offences, and thus 
learn your " besetting sin." 

" Thinkest thou, O man, which judgest them 
that do such things, and doest the same, that thou 
shalt escape the judgment of God !" 

2. A second means of detecting the besetting 
isin. is by examining the prevailing defects of mw 



THE BESTTING SIN. 



9y 



of like age, circumstances, rank, or employment, witk\ 
ourselves, — Men are, in many instances, the mere 
creatures of the circumstances in which they 
are placed. Like circumstances beget like 
habits. It may be remarked, that our Lord, in 
addressing the Priests, the Pharisees, the 
Scribes, and other classes among his country- 
men, often censures them as it were in the mass, 
and in their corporate capacity — a mode of ad- 
dress which so cautious and tender an observer 
of human nature would not have adopted, unless 
all the members of these various bodies had 
been prone to similar faults. In every age and 
condition, also, there are certain defects and 
transgressions in a measure common to tlie body 
to which we belong. The public, and the re- 
tired mnn — the studious and the trifling — the 
iharr of business, and of pleasure — the rich and 
the poor — -the aged and the young— parents 
and children — husbands and wives — masters 
jand servants, have their distinct and charac- 
teristic temptations and faults to which they are 
exposed. The rapidity with which certain evil 
habits diffuse themselves over any class of men 
is, therefore, less astonishing than grievous. 
Their temptations are, in a measure, the same ; 
their dangers the same : one countenances the 
other; the law of custom is substituted for the 
law of God ; and sympathy, and the force of im- 
itation, complete what a deviation from Scrip- 
ture begins. When the Apostle speaks of " De- 
mas forsaking" him, he adds, " at my first an- 
swer no man stood with me." When Peter de- 
nied his Master, " all the disciples forsook him 
and fled." Behold here, then, my Christian 
brethren, another rule for the detection of the 
besetting sin. Survey the class to which yon 



i. 




100 SERMON VI. 

belong with a spiritual eye. What are their more 
common faults and vices ? Are they, generally 
speaking, selfish ? are they actuated by a u^orld- 
ly spirit ? are they guilty of levity, intemperance, 
or bigotry; of faithlessness to God, or coldness 
to their Redeemer ? Then, at least, be ready 
to suspect yourselves of these faults. "As in 
water face answereth to face, so the heart of 
man to man." 

,3. A third means by which we may be assist- 
e3 in the detection of the besetting sin, is the 
serious consideration of the prevalent faults of our 
own times ^ and nation^ and neighbourhood, — However 
numerous are the pretenders to i[idtpc?ndence 
of character, few really possess it. Few, like 
Noah, or Lot, or Daniel, or John, have the cour- 
age to stand out from the comaion herd of socie- 
ty, and to think, believe, and act tor themsolves. 
The fear of being deemed singular — the preler- 
ence of some other model to that of the meek 
and lowly Jesus — the delusion that the frequen- 
cy of sin is, in some sort, an apology for it ; these, 
with other like circumstances, contribute to 
lower the standard of the Gospel, and to ren- 
der every sin palatable which is not unpopular 
and unusual. Indeed it is no easy task, to a delicate 
and timid mind, to come to the conclusion that 
the multitude is wrong, and that he who would be 
right must, in a measure, be singular. And yet 
how decisive is the language of Scripture on 
this point ! " There is none righteous, " says 
the Psalmist, and the Apostle after him ; " there 
is none righteous, no, not one ; there is none that 
understandeth and seeketh after God." " We 
know," says the tender ' disciple whom Jesus lov- 
ed,' " that we are of God. and the whole world 



THE BESETTING tiLN. 101 

iieth in wickedness." "Wide is the gate," says our 
Lord, " and broad is the way, that leadeth to 
destruction, and many there be that go in there- 
at." Let, therefore, every individual, who is in- 
tent on the discovery of his own besetting sin, 
inquire diligently into the prevalent sin of his 
times and nation. Is it, that in some instances 
a formal and indolent religion is substituted for 
that which is spiritual, and active, and self- 
devoted ? Is it, that men are ashamed of that 
Gospel which is the power of God unto salva- 
tion ? Is it, that not a few are abandoning the 
pure and holy doctrines preserved to us in the 
admirable formularies of our church, and car- 
ving out to themselves a sort of spurious Chris- 
tianity, a religion which demands neither strict- 
ness of faith nor pupJ^y of conduct ? Is it, that, 
in wj^nv oa&es, even the great fundamental prin- 
ciples ot the Gospel, — the fall and Corruption of 
human nature, the diviinty and alonemeni of 
Christ, the agency of the Holy Spirit, justifica- 
tion by faith in the Redeemer, the conversion 
and renewal of the heart by a Divine influence, 
salvation by the free and unmerited grace of 
God, a complete surrender of our will, taste and 
affections to the holy law of God, — are called in 
question, and a lean and spiritless morality put 
in their place ? If these, my brethren, are, in 
any measure, the errors of your own days, it is 
for you carefully to ascertain whether you have 
escaped the general contagion, and have not "fol- 
lowed a multitude to do evil." In like manner, 
I would beg you to pursue the inquiry as to your 
own particular neighbourhood, circle, or family ; 
remembering how few possess that " single eye," 
that " simplicity and godly sincerity," that holy 



10::^ bjERMOJN VI. 

courage which enables them to think tor them- 
selves, to follow the Scriptures, to lift a front to 
heaven unspotted by the world, to stand " apart" 
from it in principle and practice, as we must 
stand " apart" to be judged at the great day of 
account. 

4. But, fourthly, in order to determine your 
besetting sin, it may be useful to consider by 
what inward disposition or passion you have been 
Tmst frequently betrayed into acts of outward disobedi- 
ence to God, — Upon searching, for example, into 
your own history, you may find that tempta- 
tions to the grosser order of sins have been 
spread before you m vain. If so, it is not among 
the passions which prompt to this clasd of offen- 
ces that joa are to search for the besetting sin. 
But, allow lae to ask, have icmplations to 
liness^ or selfishness, or vanity, or bat* * ■ 

or self-righteousness, or neglect of your God 
and Saviour, to weariness in well-doing, to dead- 
ness in prayer, to unbelief or disobedience, 
been equally unsuccessful ? If not, trace the 
evil backward, from the effect to the cause, from 
the stream to its fountain, and you may detect 
the besetting sin. " "By their fruits ye shall 
know them." 

5. In the fifth place, the besetting sin will of- 
ten appear to be that for which we can least bear to 
be reproved. Charge a man with a vice from 
which he is obviously free, and he often bears 
the imputation with meekness. Charge him, on 
the contrary, with a defect of which he is himself 
conscious, but of which he thought others were 
ignorant, and he often repels the charge almost 
with violence. This irritation, therefore, under 
any particular charge, and feverish anxiety to 



THE BESETTING SIN. 103 

repel it, may be considered, in many instances, 
as pointing to the besetting sin. 

6. In the last place, the besetting sin is that 
which it would cost us the most pain to abandon. To 
many sins our attachment is so slight that they 
are relinquished without difficulty. The old, 
for instance, easily throw up certain sins of their 
youth; the man of business, those of the man of 
pleasure ; the ambitious, the sins of the voluptu- 
ous; the miser, the sins of the spendthrift; the 
religious professor, those of the openly profli- 
gate. But is there a sin to which we cling; 
which we hide, as it w ere, in our bosom ; for 
vhich we are ready to make large sacrifices, to 
vhich we gladly return when the temptation 
rises, for which we are eager to find apologies, 
and which we wotfid fain include within the li- 
enre oi Scripture ? that may be esteemed the 
•csottingsin, or, at ieabt, may be classed among 
the " sins which do so easily beset us.*' 

But it is time we should proceed to notice, 
. IL Some of the means by which, when the 
MERCY OF God has led to the discovery of the 
besetting sin, we may best hope to correct it. 

1. To this end, in the first place, accustom 
yourselves to take a full and precise view of the 
guilt of this species of sin. Nothing is more com- 
mon, with unscriptural reasoners upon this sub- 
ject, than to treat those sins as guiltless which are 
supposed to be the sins of our nature. " I am «a- 
turally passionate," says one offender ; or " licen- 
tious," says another ; or " indolent," says a third; 
and each means us to infer that, therefore^ sii^ger* 
lust, or sloth is no crime, or a very venial one, in 
himself. In other cases, the frequent repetition 
of a crime is considered an aggravation of it: in 



104 SERMON VI. 

this, the apology offered for the crime is, that it 
has stained every day of our lives, and every step 
of our progress. But surely, my brethren, such 
an apology for sin can avail only on the notion 
that constitutional sins are necessarily incurable 
sins ; that " he who can do all things" cannot do 
this ; and that the sins of our nature are, by 
some irrevocable decree, to haunt us through 
every stage of life, and defying the power of Di- 
vine grace, to pass with us into the presence of 
the Most High. But, if this be true, what be- 
comes of the language of Scripture ; " I will 
take away the heart of stone, and give them a 
heart of flesh :" " If any man is in Christ, he is a 
new creature v' '\ Behold, old things are passed 
awaVii and all things are bemtne new :'■ " They 
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with 
its affections and lusts?" But look through 
every page of Scripture, and some evidence or 
other will arise to testify to the fact, that sin is 
not exempted from the hatred and curse of God 
because it is constitutional. The sacred writers, 
indeed, describe, by the strongest expressions, 
the fall, and consequent corruption, of our na- 
ture : but where do they admit this corruption 
as an apology for sin ? It is said, for instance, 
of the world before the flood, " every imagina- 
tion of the thoughts of mah's heart was only 
evil continually:" but is this corruption ever 
pleaded as a bar to the tremendous penalty in- 
flicted upon the world ? David, in like manner, 
speaks of himself as " born in sin ;" but does he 
ever produce his inbred pollution as an apology 
for his crimes.^ The prophet Jeremiah calls 
" the heart deceitful above all things, and des- 
perately wicked ;" but does he throw this natur- 



THE BESETTING SIX. 10.') 

ai deceit and corruptions as a shield over the 
vices of the individual? On the contrary, are 
not such expressions intended to convey to us a 
stronger conception of the mahgnity of our mo- 
ral disease ? 

If, therefore, my brethren, you really desire to 
lay the axe to the root of your constitutional sin, 
begin by taking a solemn and deliberate view of 
its real and tremendous guilt, and of the corrup- 
tion in which it originates. Call to mind, that 
however surprise, or accident, or ignorance, 
may be alleged in mitigation of some other offen- 
ces, no such plea can be urged here. These 
offences are, at all events, those of deliberation 
and kcuv-^rqge; siii-> \s\ili ^;l\u\\ habu h«3 giv- 
en you the most terrible familiarity ; which you 
iiust recognise afar off, and upxder every dis- 
guise ; of which you must know the line of ap- 
proach and the mode of attack; of which you 
;ave already seen and Mi the consequence, in 
estranging you from God, in detaining you from 
the foot of a Saviour's cross, and in quenching 
the Spirit in your soul. These, therefore, are 
the sins of which it may be said, if of any, " they 
who do such things shall not inherit the king- 
dom of God." 

2. But, secondly, consider, with a view to the 
correction of the besetting sin, the peculiar diffi- 
culty of escaping from its doininion. To despise the 
enemy who is really strong, is at once to betray 
yourself to his power. Now it is obvious that 
some sins, like seed cast into a soil unsuited to 
it, take little or no hold upon our nature. But 
it is equally evident that the besetting sin has 
found in the heart its appropriate soil; that it 
has "struck root downwards, and bears fruit 
O 



lOb SERMON ri. 

upwards ;^' that it has wound its fibres around 
every faculty of the unconverted heart. How 
solemn is this consideration ! In escaping from 
the " besetting sin," you have to break no slight 
bonds, to overcome no raw and untried enemy. 
You have to " wrestle not" simply " with flesh 
and blood, but with principalities, and powers, 
and with spiritual wickednesses in high places ;" 
with a foe of large powers and deep malign 
nity, and who has already made a strong lodg- 
ment in the soul. And shall a man trifle in sueh 
circumstances ? Shall he not " awake and arise, 
that Christ may give him light ?^ Shall he not 
''water his couch with the tear«" of godly sor- 
jcow ? Shall he not say, '• I have done liiiquitj, 
I will do so no more ?" Shall he not, " when the 
enemy'' thus '* comech in like a flood," call upon 
the Lord to *^ lift up a standard aa irnst him ?" 

3. But, thirdly, in order to c >rrect the beset- 
ting sin, remember that the corrcclloh must be appH" 
ed to the heart. — This is, strictly speaking, a dis- 
ease of the hearty and must be encountered in the 
seat of the disorder. '* Wash thine heart from 
wickedness, that thou mayest be clean." One 
of the common errors of mankind, is that of 
searching for the evils of their conduct too near 
the surface. How earnestly does Scripture in- 
culcate upon us the duty of deep, radical, and 
interior reform ! You are to " know every man 
the plague of his own heart." You are to " rend 
the heart," " purify" the heart, " circumcise" the 
heart, " make you a new heart and a right spi- 
rit." And then, and then only, when the " heart 
knoweth its own sore," and is " broken and con- 
trite," does God promise to be " nigh to you, and 
to save you." " Because thine heart was tender. 



THE BESETTING SLN. i07 

and thou hast rent thy clothes and wept before 
me, I also have heard thee, saith the Lord." It 
is, my brethren, a " deceived hearty which hath" 
hitherto "turned us aside." Search out the 
"plague spot" in the inmost soul; and there, 
under God, apply the remedy. 

4. In the fourth place, since the besetting sin 
is thus deeply lodged in the heart, it is evident 
that no power hut that of God can reach it. — In va- 
rious parts of Scripture the corruption of the 
heart is ascribed directly to the devil. He " taketh 
away the seed out of the heart :" he " put it into 
the heart" of Ananias and Sapphira to "lie to the 
Holy Ghost ;" and into that of Judas to " be- 
tray" the Sav'civr. And, in Uke manner, every 
sanctifying and converting influence upon the 
heart is ascribed to ^-^;^ himself* " The Lovd^^ 
say* Mot^es. *«ipv?^ t-vicwmcise thine heart, and 
the heart ot thy seed, to love the Lord thy God:" 
" The preparation of the heart is fiom the Lord:^^ 
" / will put my law into their inward parts, and 
write it in their hearts :" " / will give them one 
heart, and one way, that they may fear me for 
ever." It is not for us, my brethren, to attempt 
to wage single-handed war with our corruptions. 
" The battle is the Lord's ;" and you must put 
yourself under the " Captain of your salvation." 
And remember how wide is the difference be- 
tween the theoretical and practical admission of 
this doctrine. Thousands admit it as a mere ar- 
ticle of the national creed, as a truth which nei- 
ther orthodoxy nor sound sense will allow them 
to dispute, who were yet never quickened by it 
4o labour or to pray, in earnest, for a single mo- 
ment in their lives. The practical and devout 
reception of the truth, that God is the author of 



108 SERMON VI. 

conversion, will bring us habitually and anxious- 
ly upon our knees before Him in prayer ; will fas- 
ten our eyes and our hearts upon the pages of 
his word ; will lead us, as contrite supplicants, 
to the table of the Lord ; will rouse us from spi- 
ritual slumber; will give the death-blow to all 
rash intercourse with the world, to every pursuit 
or habit which may quench the ardour of love, 
and faith, and obedience to the Redeemer ; will 
dispose us anxiously to pray that the " Lord 
would establish our hearts unblameable in holi- 
ness, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

5. And I would remind you, my brethren, as a 
last rule for the correction of the besetting sin, 
thai even/ prayer must be offered^ and ''■very effort be 
viade^ in dependence upon tht hhod and the intercession 
of OUT Redeemer-"— \i is his own language ; " No 
man cometh unto the Patbenb^^*^* % m^;" and, 
^^ Pie that cometh unto me, shaYi \u tio wise be 
rast out.'- And these are declarations to which 
the contrite sinner clings, as to the pillars of his 
hopes and joys. To whom does rvf^ry true ser- 
vant of God ascribe his triumphs over corrup- 
tion ? Let St. Paul reply : " I am crucified with 
Christ; nevertheless, 1 live; yet not 1, Christ 
liveth in me ; and the life that I now live in the 
flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who 
loved me, and gave himself for me." To whom 
will the happy spirits rescued from the flesh, and 
admitted into glory, ascribe their happiness? 
" Thou art worthy to take the book, and open 
the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast 
redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every 
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." — ' 
And, my brethren, it is to the same all-suflicient 
Saviour you must owe your redemption from sin. 



THE BESETTING SIN. 109 

and jour triumphs over it. Every vice subdued 
must be dragged as a prisoner at his chariot 
wheels. Every vanquished lust and passion must 
be bound as a trophy around his Cross. And is 
it not a sufficient encouragement in the conflict, 
that you have such a Leader; that the banner of 
his love waves over you ; and that a voice from 
the mount cheers you on in your march : " To 
him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me 
on my throne ; even as I also overcame, and am 
set down with my Father on his throne ?" God 
grant that many such holy victories may be won 
in this place ; that the power of the Saviour may 
be manifested among us ; that you and I may be- 

E'n to triumph over habits which perhaps have 
ng tyrannized over us ; that the sin which hath 
hitherto " so easily beset us," may fall before the 
sword of the Spirit — may be known henceforth, 
not as a living, but as a slaughtered enemy — 
may be remembered only to deepen our strains 
of love and gratitude to Him who has " given us 
the victory, through Jesus Christ our Lord !" 

There are three cautions with which I would 
conclude our observations on these words. 

1. In the first place, we are to beware, lest, 
having detected one constitutional or besetting 
sin, we come to a conclusion that there is necessa- 
rily but one, — Such are the deceits which the 
great enemy of souls practises upon us, that our 
very vigilance upon one point is often perverted 
into a source of negligence as to others. Can 
the heart, we are tempted to ask, be corrupt on 
all sides ? Is there no point at which it is need- 
less to watch ? To this we answer. It is possi- 
ble that in your own case one sin may rule su- 
preme, and no other occupy even a formidable 



110 SERMQxN VI. 

place in the soul. But the contrary is more pro- 
bable. Sins thrive together; sins minister to 
each other. The corruption favourable to one 
bad passion is favourable to others. Guard, 
therefore, my brethren, against this delusion; 
nor confine to one point the vigilance which 
ought to be universally exercised. 

2. Again : guard against the error of mistaking 
the momentary slumbers of the besetting sin for its 
death mid extinction. — Truly may it be aflSrmed of 
sin in general, and especially of those sins which 
have long had the dominion over us, even when 
their extinction appears to be the most complete, 
*' that they are not dead, but sleep." Suppress- 
ed for one moment, they arise the next. Subdu- 
ed in one form, they assume another. Even in 
the children of God, the lusts and tempers of 
their unconverted state are apt continually to re- 
appear ; and, though encountered with a vigour 
of resistance, which prevents them from re-as- 
suming their dominion, are the same in essence 
and malignity. Sometimes indeed they revive 
in a different shape and semblance, and thus de- 
ceive us. Pride becomes spiritual pride ; into- 
lerance, religious bigotry ; angry passions, theo- 
logical hatred. Here, also, it is not possible to 
be too vigilant. 

3. In the third and last place, guard against low 
and desponding notions as to the impossibility of sub' 
duing the sins which are constitutional — Something 
has already been said on this point. But I can- 
not leave you with what I have designed to be an 
alarming picture of the subtlety and peril of the 
besetting sin, without endeavouring more em- 
phatically to cheer and animate you in your 
efforts to subdue it. My Christian brethren, it 



THE BESETTING SIN. < lit 

is always to be remembered, in the war you wage 
with sin in yourself or others, that the Lord is on 
your side, and that all the power of Omnipotence 
are pledged for your support. And consider, 
that where sin is to be subdued, you have not in 
the " Captain of your salvation" a doubtful or 
reluctant ally. He " hates" it with a " perfect 
hatred." With sin he will hold neither alliance 
nor compromise. Go forth, then, to the battle, 
as David to his conflict with the Philistine, in the 
persuasion that your enemy is also the enemy of 
the Lord ; and in his strength you shall conquer. 
What though your foes be many and mighty; 
what though you bear in your hand but the 
*' sling" and the " stone" — the most feeble and 
imperfect weapons — the Lord will give precision 
and force to the blow ; will direct the stone io 
the " forehead" of the enemy, and he shall sink 
to rise no more. May these assurances, my 
Christian brethren, be fulfilled to each of you ; 
and, in the words of the young warrior of Israel, 
when marching to meet his giant adversary, may 
« all this assembly know that the battle is the 
Lord's, and that he can 2:ive" every enemy " into 
our hands." 



SERMON VII. 



LOOKING UNTO JESUS. 



HEB. xii. 2—4. 



Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our 
faith ; who, for the joy that was set before him, en- 
dured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down 
at the right hand of the throne of God. For con- 
sider him that endured such contradiction of sinners 
against himself, lest ye be wearied a^idfahit in your 
minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striv- 
ing against sin. 

None will despise the difficulties of a religious 
course but those who have not entered upon it. 
St. Paul, though, as it would seem to us, triumph- 
ant in every sphere of duty, was far from enter- 
taining a low conception of these difficulties. In- 
deed, in adverting to his own conflicts with the 
corruptions of his nature, he employs one of the 
most powerful images which it is possible to con- 
ceive. " Oh, wretched man that I am ! who shall 
deliver me from the body of this deathT'^ — who, in 
other words, shall rescue me from this body of 
corruption, which clings to me like the corpse, 
fastened (according to a mode of punishment 
among the Romans) to the living man. 

It was likely, my Christian brethren, that a 
man thus impressed with the difficulties of the 
Christian life should be anxious to enrouraffe the 



LOOKING UNTO JESL S. i J .j 

ininds of the fainting servants of God. And, 
having, in the first verse of this chapter, labour- 
ed thus to cheer them, by directing their eye 
" to the cloud of witnesses" who had already run 
the race, and won the prize, he proceeds next to 
display to them that still loftier source of en- 
couragement to which the text directs our at- 
tention. 

If an individual, engaged in any warlike enter- 
prise, is taught that others have conquered in 
the same field, and against the same enemies, his 
next inquiry is likely to be, ' under what leader 
they fought, and by whose strength they prevail- 
ed ?^ In like manner the timid and sinking Chris- 
tian will often be disposed, as he contemplates 
by the eye of faith the shining host of the re- 
deemed presented to him in the first verse of the 
chapter, with much earnestness to ask, 'To 
whom he is to look for succour and guidance in 
this high enterprise ; and who, " when the enemy 
Cometh in like a flood," will " lift up a standard 
against him .f*"' To the man thus inquiring, the 
text replies, " Look unto Jesus, the Author and 
Finisher of our faith !" ' You have, in the Master 
you serve, a Leader who is " mighty to save." 
You have in his mercy a remedy commensurate 
with the infirmities and diseases of human nature. 
You have, in the once-crucified and now triumph- 
ant Son of God, all that your necessities can re- 
quire, or your heart can wish.' 

Such, my brethren, appears to be the general 
argument of our text, and such its immediate con- 
nexion with the passage that goes before it. But 
let us proceed to the distinct examination of its 
several parts, calling devoutlv on Him who is the 
P 



114 »ERMON VII. 

*• Author and Finisher of our faith" to assist and 
bless our inquiry. 

There are three points on which I would wish 
especially to fix your attention : 

I. The peculiar temptation of the chris- 
tia:^ which is referred to in the 

TEXT. 
11. The DEGREE of RESISTANCE TO THAT TEMP- 
TATION WHICH God requires. 

III. The MEANS BY WHICH THIS RESISTANCE IS TO 
BE ACCOiMPLISHED. 

f. The first point to which I would call your 
attention, is the peculiar temptation of the 
CHRISTIAN, referred TO IN THE TEXT. — It IS ad- 
verted to in these words, " Lest ye be wearied^ and 
faint in your minds /" 

There is much danger, my Christian brethren, 
of "•' ivearifiess^^ in religion — or, in other words, of 
sinking under the burden and difficulties of our 
Christian calling; of drawing back from the du- 
ties, on the discharge of which we had once faith- 
fully entered ; of sadly and hopelessly resting on 
our oars, or folding our arms on our bosom, when 
we should be vigorously and cheerfully stem- 
ming the tide of life. Thus Aaron, after a time, 
gave way to the importunity of the foolish multi- 
tude around him. Thus the meek Moses at 
length " spake unadvisedly with his lips." Thus 
Job at length "opened his mouth, and cursed the 
day of his birth." Thus Peter " doubted," and 
James and John " called for fire from heaven." 
Thus, says the Apostle, *^ at my first answer, no 
man stood with me." Thus, in the churches of 
Asia, multitudes " forsook their first love." 

Weariness such as this, may spring from a va- 
riety of causes. It naay be, that whatever of re- 



LOOKiNG UNTO JESLS. 115 

ligion you possessed was founded rather upon 
sentiment than upon principle ; in which case it 
was likely to be shitting and capricious as the 
feeling on which it was erected : the " house 
built upon the sand fell, and great was the fall 
of it." Or it may happen that some error in 
opinion is gradually sapping the foundations of 
faith : " they do err, not knowing the Scriptures." 
It may be, that habits of sloth, or sensuality, or 
worldliness, like plants insinuating themselves 
between the crevices of the stone, are fastening 
on the heart, and gradually destroying the ener- 
gies of the "inner man ;" " the cares of this world, 
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, 
and he becometh unfruitful." Or it is possible 
that some remissness, in the private or public 
duties of religion, in the study of the Scriptures, 
in attendance at the house or table of the Lord, 
or in spiritual communication with devout friends, 
is gradually benumbing and paralyzing the 
powers of the soul; "1 will be inquired of bj 
the house of Israel." 

But the cause to which the Apostle more es- 
pecially refers in the text, is the opposition or 
hostility of the world — that hostility which he 
calls "/^c contradiction of sinnersP It is, my 
Christian brethren, a painful but unquestionable 
fact, that he who zealously and consistently car- 
ries the principles of the Gospel into his daily 
conduct and conversation, will have to bear more 
or less of this species of "contradiction." The 
devout servant of God will, in many instances, 
have opposed to him, on the one hand, the mere- 
ly moral, who feel themselves condemned by 
his superior piety; and, on the other, those 
who, being the open enemies of Christ, are the 



116 SERMON XVJl. 

necessary enemies of his followers : " if ye were 
of the world, the world would love his own; 
but because ye are not of the world, but I have 
chosen you out of the world, therefore the world 
hateth you." And this spirit of hostility, in per- 
haps not a few of those by whom the Chris- 
tian is surrounded, is, without doubt, one of the 
most frequent causes of decay or apostacy in re- 
ligion. Some individuals are cowards, and 
want nerve to resist the torrent of opposition. 
Some are worldly, and dread the sacrifice of in- 
terest or reputation. And there are persons, of 
a higher and nobler order than either of these 
classes, to whom this species of hostility is pe- 
culiarly formidable. Gifted, perhaps, with the 
quickest sensibility and tenderness, the voice 
of contention grates on their mind, like the 
roughest discords on the ear. Love is the ele- 
ment in which they delight to move, and they 
are tempted to seek it even by the most costly 
sacrifices. 

Tried, then, by these various circumstances, is 
it a matter of w^onder that many should be 
" weary, and faint in their minds ?" In some 
cases this w eariness issues in complete abandon- 
ment of God. And where this weariness does 
not thus lead to total apostacy, the consequen- 
ces are often extremely formidable. It is fre- 
quently the lot of the minister of the Gospel, as 
he surveys the state of his people, and sees 
around him the sad relics of faith, and love, and 
obedience, to feel himself almost in the circum- 
stances of a traveller walking amidst the ruins 
of a city once renowned for its beauty and mag- 
nificence. " Where," asks the Apostle, " is the 
blessedness ye spaTie of?" — "Ye did run well; 



LOOKING UNTO JESUS. 117 

who doth hinder, that ye should not obey 
the truth ?" 

Such, then, is the nature, and such the power, 
of the temptation adverted to by the Apostle in 
these words of the text, " Lest ye be wearied, 
and faint in your minds." — Let us examine, as 
was proposed, 

I Idly. The degree of resistance which is re- 

<^UIRED TO THIS TEMPTATION. 

" Ye have notyet^'' says the Apostle, '^ resisted unto 
bhod^ striving against sin^ In other words, ' what- 
ever may have been your previous resistance to 
this temptation, I come now to ask higher things 
of you. You have already, perhaps, sacrificed 
property, reputation, honours, to the Gospel — 
you must stand prepared, if the sacrifice should 
be required, to give up even life itself St. Paul, 
perhaps, in this declaration, had in view the 
great band of prophets and martyrs of whom he 
had been speaking in the preceding chapter — 
men who assuredly had " resisted unto blood ;" 
who " were stoned, were sawn asunder, were 
slain with the sword ;" who " wandered about in 
sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, af- 
flicted, tormented." And, perhaps his mind was 
still more especially directed to the agonies and 
death of the Saviour of the world. In imitation 
of those martyrs for truth, and holiness, and hea- 
ven, he bids the followers of Christ, to whom he 
writes, count their present resistance as nothing, 
and go on to " resist even unto blood." — But, my 
brethren, if the Apostle could thus call upon men 
who had already sacrificed to the Gospel their 
hearths and tlieir altars, their friends and their 
substance, to stand prepared for even larger sa- 
crifices, with liow much greater propriety may 



1 18 SERMON VII. 

the injunction be urged upon ourselves ? For, 
consider the amount of your sacrifices. What is 
the worst evil to which, in the fulfilment of your 
duties as a Christian, you can be now called to 
submit ? It is, perhaps, the laugh or the scorn 
of those, who, in a few years, will be food for 
worms, and may be supplicating for a drop of 
water to cool their tongues. " Ye have not yet re- 
sisted unto hlood.'''^ And, protected by the happy 
laws and enlarged liberality of the age, you are 
not likely to be called to this species of resist- 
ance. But even if, through any change of circum- 
stances, the storms of persecution should again 
arise, and descend even in torrents of blood, you 
must brace yourself to the encounter; and, in the 
strength of the Lord, say to your oppressors, 
" The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song ; 
he also is become my salvation — I will not fear 
vfhdX man can do unto me." 

And here, my brethren, allow me to add, that, 
however improbable is the arrival of any such 
crisis in our own times and country, yei^ if you 
are still young, either in years or in religion, it is 
possible that many heavy demands may be made 
on your patience and faith. It is possible that 
occasions wfll arise by which you may judge of 
the spirit in which you would have encountered 
still severer trials. Indeed, every year added to 
the pilgrimage of life is sure to bring along with 
it great, and probably increasing, trials to our 
constancy and love. The attractions of religion, 
for instance, diminish with their novelty. The 
mind itself sinks with the body, and loses much 
of the energy which assisted it in its earlier 
struggles with difficulty. Our dangers also in- 
crease in proportion to the points at which we 



LOOKING UMO JESl S. 1 19 

touch the world. Events continually arise, which 
seem to put our Christian caution, fortitude, and 
perseverance to a severer test. So that, evi- 
dently, the only safe expedient is to stand pre- 
pared for the worst. Our Lord did not, after 
the manner of impostors, w^oo his disciples to re- 
ligion by illusory promises of an earthly paradise. 
And we also must call upon you to "endure 
hardness ;" to " take up the Cross ;" to crucify 
the flesh ; to contend manfully against your spi- 
ritual enemies ; to " resist," if you w ould con- 
quer ; to be ready to " sufler" with Christ, if you 
would " reign" with him in his kingdom. 

Having thus noticed both the temptation to 
which the Christian is exposed, and the resist- 
ance to that temptation which is expected of him, 
we come to consider, 

Illdly. The manner in which the temptation 

IS TO BE RESISTED. 

You are directed, in the text, to " look unto 
Jesus,'''' In other words, yoG are to fix your eyes 
and your hearts on the compassionate Redeemer 
of the world, and go forth under his banner to 
the conflict with inward corruption or outward 
violence. Such is the general counsel of the 
Apostle. But, in several verses of the text, more 
distinct directions are given as to the points of 
view in which we are to contemplate the Son of 
God. 

1. In the first place, you are to regard him as 
a sufferer ; for it is said, " He endured the cross, 
despising the shame." — Look, then, in the first 
instance, thou dejected or terrified servant of the 
Most High God, at this suffering Saviour of a 
guilty world. See him suspected, betrayed, spit 
upon, buffeted, pierced, and crucified. Consider 



120 i?ERMON VJl. 

him as he there hangs upon the cross, and learn 
the lessons which this bleeding Saviour desires 
to teach you. 

Did He, the Son of God, and the " Well-belov- 
ed" of his Father, sufer ? Then suffering may be 
the lot of the children of God : then anguish 
of mind and body is not, in itself, a token of his 
displeasure : then Jesus has added a new digni- 
ty to suffering, by choosing it as his own portion. 

Again, did Jesus sufer ? Then mark well the 
spirit and temper which he carried into his trials. 
Observe his patience and meekness, his dying 
anxiety for the comfort of his friends and the par- 
don of his enemies. Learn of him to submit 
without murmuring to the infliction of a Fathers 
hand ; to say, in every case, " The cup which 
my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it .f*" 

Did he suffer ? Then " he is able to succour 
those who are tempted," who smart under the 
stings of worldly unkindness ; who are harassed 
by fears, or wrung by poverty. The Divine na- 
ture would seem to be placed beyond the reach 
of suffering; but the Son of God divested him- 
self of " the glory which he had with the Father," 
and became man, that he might make acquain- 
tance with the sorrows and trials of man. " We 
have not an High Priest which cannot be touch- 
ed with the feeling of our infirmities ; but he was 
in all points tempted like as we are, yet without 
sin." He has stood by the couch of the mourn- 
er, and over the grave of the dead. He has en- 
countered the temptations both of the wilderness 
and the crowded city ; the violence of the open 
enemy, and the treachery of the weak or false 
friend. Every species of trial was condensed 
into his short life, as though to assure his peo- 



LOOKLNG LxNTO JESLt. 121 

pie of his familiarity with misery in all its modes 
and circumstances. 

Did Christ suffer? Then consider the extent 
of the /owe which is involved in the voluntary and 
vicarious sufferings of the Redeemer. It has 
been finely observed, that the real executioners 
of the Saviour were not the fierce and sanguinary 
crowd by whom he was surrounded, — the high 
priests, and the Pharisees, and the false witness- 
es, and the soldiers : — his own love fastened the 
crown on his bleeding brow, drove the nails into 
his hands, and the spear into his side. The love, 
in fact, which saved the world, sacrificed the 
victim. Look, then, again and again, at this suf- 
fering Saviour, thou poor and afflicted servant of 
God, and wipe away your tears, and dismiss 
your doubts, and man your soul for the high en^ 
terprises of duty, and devotion, and love; and, 
amidst the utmost intensity of sorrow, or the 
fiercest rage of persecution, let it still be the con- 
soling language of your heart, " Who is he that 
condemneth ? Christ hath died. He is my light 
and my salvation : I will trust, and not be afraid. 
Lo, this is our God ! we have waited for him ; we 
will rejoice and be glad in his salvation." 

2. But, secondly, you are directed in the text 
to look to Jesus as a Conqueror. — It is said of him, 
" He is set down on the risrht hand of the throne of 
God." 

Has the Saviour indeed triumphed? Then 
remember his ow^n declaration, " Because I live, 
ye shall live also." Then all his promises to the 
church shall be fulfilled : " Whatsoever ye shall 
ask in my name, I will do it :" " Wheresoever 
two or three are gathered together in my name, 
there am I in the midst of you :" " I will send the 

Q 



I'Z'Z SERMON Vll. 

Comforter to you," and he shall " abide with you 
for ever :" " Fear not ; I am the First and the 
Last ; I am He that liveth and was dead ; and 
behold I am alive for evermore, Amen ; and have 
the keys of hell and of death." 

Has he triumphed ? Then observe the weapons 
of his warfare ; for with these alone are you per- 
mitted to contend, or shall you be able to con- 
quer. Did he employ the word of God as his 
great means of defence ? so must you. Did he 
combine with the vigorous and bold discharge of 
daily duties, a temper of devotion, of holy com- 
munion with God ? Did he unite charity with 
zeal, a spirit of severity towards himself with the 
most exquisite tenderness to others ? then you 
must endeavour to unite in yourselves the same 
qualities. Throw from your hand, my Christian 
brethren, every weapon which is not tempered 
in the fire of the altar, and take that which your 
Leader, the " Captain of your salvation," has pre- 
pared for you. " Put on the whole armour of 
God ;" the "girdle of truth," the " breast-plate 
of righteousness," the " shield of faith," the 
" sword of the Spirit," and the " helmet of sal- 
vation." 

3. But, in the third and last place, the text di- 
rects you to look to Jesus as the ''j^uthorand 
Finisher of your faith!''* 

The Son of God, my brethren, might have suf- 
fered^ and his sufferings, like those of many others, 
have been a mere source of sympathy and afflic- 
tion to ourselves. He might have triumphed^ and 
the trophies of his victory might have been 
moistened by the tears of the miserable. But 
here is the peculiarity of his trials and his suffer- 



LOOKING UNTO JESUS. 1^3 

ings, he bled and he triumphed for you : " with 
his stripes we are healed.'^'' 

The expression of the text, it is to be observ- 
ed, is one of the strongest which could have been 
employed for the consolation of the disciple of 
the Redeemer. The Scriptures teach us that "it 
is by faith we are saved" — " by faith we are jus- 
tified" — " by faith we are to overcome the world;" 
and He is said, in the text to be the " Author and 
Finisher of our faith." In other words, He begins 
and He completes the grand instrument of our 
spiritual victory, and of our eternal salvation. 

Have you, then, no faith ? Are you altogether 
unacquainted with your sins and your Saviour; 
with the value of the promises of God, and with 
the joys of those who trust in him? He can 
teach you the very elements of religion, and give 
the first impulse to the mind in the path of duty, 
He is the Atithor of faith. 

Or again ; is your faith weak ? Do you still 
stagger under the burdens of life } Do unholy 
doubts often suggest themselves to your minds ? 
Do you seem to " halt between two opinions ?" 
Are you tempted to decide sometimes for the 
world and sometimes for God ? Are you ana= 
ble to " cast all your care upon Him," under the 
strong conviction that " He careth for you.f*" 
Do you find it difficult to pray, to meditate, to 
escape from the influence of worldly attrac- 
tions ? He is also the " Finisher of your faith." 
He can shed the sacred influences of his grace 
on the soul, and the " small seed" shall swell in- 
to " the great tree." " Whoso is among you 
that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of 
his servant ; that walketh in darkness, and hath 
no light; let him trust in the name of the Lor8, 



124 SERMON VII. 

and stay upon his. God." And who is there, 
that, in compliance with these injunctions, has, 
in his hours of trial and dejection, cast himself 
upon the strength and compassion of his hea- 
venly Father, without finding, as it were, a sud- 
den verdure clothing the waste places of the 
soul, " light springing up in the darkness," and 
the God of mercy pouring, from behind the veil 
which hides him from the world, unspeakable 
consolation. '• Whoso trusteth in the Lord, 
happy is he!" 

And now, my brethren, allow me, in conclu- 
sion, to address certain classes of individuals, 
some of whom may not improbably be found 
among those to whom I am speaking, and who 
are all interested in the points which have been 
suggested for our consideration. 

1. In the first place, then, I may be speaking 
to some who are in danger of abusing the state- 
ment which has been now submitted to them, 
by confoimding those trials which are of their oivn 
making with those which are of Divine appointment. 
I would call on such individuals to observe what 
class of persons are directed in the text, for the 
encouragement of their minds, to fix their eye 
on the Saviour of the world. Is it not those, and 
those only, who are " striving against sin ?" 
There is, my brethren, it is ever to be remem- 
bered, a resistance of conscience, and a re- 
sistance of bad temper. And, as there are 
strong promises of help to men resisting up- 
on principle, there is none to those who 
are resisting merely from self-will. Nothing, 
indeed, can less become the meekness and ten- 
derness of the Gospel, than that angry and inso- 
lent spirit which loves opposition and provokes 
displeasure. As a servant of Christ, you are to 



LOOKUSG UNTO JESUS. 12-!) 

hate discord, to walk in love, and never to de- 
scend into the arena of strife, till the interests of 
truth and godliness absolutely compel you. 
Principle alone is to be dearer to jou than peace. 
You are to remember, that " the wrath of man 
worketh not the righteousness of God ;" and 
that they who freely " take the sword, shall pe- 
rish by the sword." 

2. in the next place, I may be addressing my- 
self to some individuals who feel nothing of the 
temptation to '''•faint in their minds^'^ adverted to in 
the text, and who, therefore, may attach no im- 
portance to any of the preceding observations. 
To them I would say, ' If, ipdeed, your courage 
and perseverance are the result of principle, 
and are combined with zeal and holy vigilance 
in the cause of God, then have you reason both 
to congratulate yourselves, and to thank '* the 
Author and Finisher of our faith" for the mer- 
cies thus bestowed upon you. But I must be 
permitted to add, that there are minds fearless 
only because they are insensible ; and in no dan- 
ger of ** fainting" in their course, simply because 
they have not yet entered upon it. Am I speak- 
ing to any such persons to-day ? To them I 
must say, '- Your supposed strength is your real 
weakness — your feeling of security, the very pre- 
lude to ruin — " wo to them that are at ease in 
Zion." I must not, in the language of the text, 
direct such persons, in their present circumstan- 
ces, to " look unto Jesus" as their Friend. But 
still I would desire you to fix your eyes upon 
him. Behold the Son of God bleeding on the 
cross, and see if there is nothing in the image of 
that crucified Saviour calculated, beyond all the 
reasonings of man, to convince you of the guilt 
and danger of your present frame of mind. He 



126 SERMON V 11. 

quitted the tiirone of heaven, and was nailed to 
the " accursed tree" for your sins ; and can you 
be insensible to them? Hasten, then, to the 
feet of this offended Lord, whilst he continues to 
invite you. Soon he will lay aside the golden 
sceptre of compassion, to unsheath the sword of 
justice. The "judgment shall be set;" the 
" books opened ;" the " dead, great and small, 
shall stand before Him," and we shall be "judg- 
ed according to our works." " Kiss the Son, 
lest he be angry, and so ye perish from the right 
way." Awake from a sleep which is the sleep 
of perdition, that you may draw nigh to God, 
before the way to the mercy-seat is shut up for 
ever. 

3. Lastly, I would speak to those real servants 
ofGod^ who, with every desire to resist sin, and 
continue in the steady and calm discharge of 
their duties to God and man, are still in danger of 
fainting under the severity of the trials to which they 
are exposed, 1 would call on such individuals to 
notice another clause of the text. It is there 
said of our Lord, that " he endured the cross" 
"/or the joy that was set before him!''* Let' me, then, 
remind you, my Christian brethren, that the 
"joys set before /im" are the joys set before 
you. You may occupy the same throne ; walk 
by the same " living fountains ;" feed on the 
" fruit" of the same tree ; stand in the same glo- 
rious and delightful Presence, and bask in the 
same beam of love and joy. It is His own pro- 
mise, that He will " come again, and receive 
you unto himself, that tvhere He is^ there may ye be 
also!''* Endeavour, then, ye lowly and disquiet- 
ed servants of God, in the anticipation of these 
joys, to forget the trials which " are but for a 



LOOLLNG UxMO JEbLS. 127 

moment." Endeavour to escape from this val- 
ley of tears ; and, lifted up on the strong pinion 
of faith, to survey the mansions of light and life. 
They are " yours," if " ye are Christ's." " When 
He who is our life shall appear, then shall we 
also appear with him in glory." Oh, glorious 
and delightful intelligence ! Then shall " the 
days of our mourning he ended," and " sorrow 
and sighing flee away" for ever. Then shall 
" resistance" to sin be superfluous, for all shall 
be " holy, just, and good." Then shall " ever- 
lasting love and delight fill the whole soul in the 
vision of God." May this happy hour be has- 
tened, and each of yourselves participate in the 
joys then to be revealed ! May the contempla- 
tion of it cast a sunshine over every step of your 
pilgrimage ! May you be enabled to wait on 
that God who, whatever be the weakness of his 
servant, " fainteth not, neither is weary ;" and 
He "shall renew your strength; you shall 
mount up with wings as eagles ; you shall run, 
and not be weary; you shall walk, and not 
faint." 



SERMON VIll. 



THE INWARD TESTIMONY OF THE SERVANT 
OF GOD. 



1 JOHN V. 10. 

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the 
witness in himself. 

It has pleased God to surround the Gospel of 
his Son with a body of outward evidence, which 
it is difficult for a reasonable and candid mind 
to resist. And, accordingly, many who are al- 
together unacquainted with the species of testi- 
mony referred to in the text, have, on the au- 
thority of this outward testimony alone, both re- 
ceived the Gospel themselves, and powerfully 
proclaimed its truth and its importance to 
others. Nor will this outward evidence of re- 
ligion ever be neglected with impunity. Every 
man, who has bent an attentive eye on the 
circumstances of society, will be disposed to 
impute to such neglect much of the fluctuation 
of opinion and instability of practice which pre- 
vail in the world. Far, therefore, from discoura- 
ging the investigation of what may be termed the 
visible foundations of faith, I would rather say, in 
the language of Scripture, " Walk about Sion, 
and go round about her ; tell the towers there- 
of; mark well her bulwarks, consider her pa- 



THE INWARD TESTIMOxM. 129 

laces." Search, you that are able, into the testi- 
mony supplied by miracle, by prophecy, by fact, 
by the character of the witnesses, by their volun- 
tary sufferings, bythe harmony oftheir statements, 
by the beauty, wisdom, purity, and fitness of the 
whole volume of truth. It is enthusiasm, and 
enthusiasm of a most mischievous nature, to fly 
from these witnesses to the truth, and to expect 
others of a more convincing character to arise. 
" If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, nei- 
ther will they believe, though one rose from the 
dead." 

Notwithstanding, however, the value of this 
kind of evidence, it is obvious that there are 
many to whom it is nearly inaccessible. Their 
reading is necessarily small ; their reasoning fa- 
culties are perhaps weak; they find little leisure, 
amidst the struggle and perplexities of life, for 
patient investigation. If, therefore, such per- 
sons are to be convinced at all, it must, in most 
instances, be either by the weight of authority, or 
by testimony more accessible, and more univer- 
sal, than that to which we have referred. 

Nor are these the only individuals to whom 
evidence, in addition to that which is outward, 
is of the highest importance. If it is essential, on 
the one hand, to be convinced that the Gospel is 
true ; it is no less essential to be convinced that 
our view of the Gospel is just. Now, doubtless, no 
conviction, as to the justness of our views, is 
sound, which is not founded upon the strictness 
and most devout examination of the record of 
truth of which our circumstances admit. The 
Bible is to be searched, and the aid of the Holy 
Spirit to be sought, by every man who would ar- 
rive at truth, and escape from fanaticism. But» 
R 



130 5EKMON VIII. 

be our diligence ever so great, how ardently will 
the humble and candid inquirer long for addi- 
tional light ! How often will he ask for some ad- 
ditional test, to which he may bring the deci- 
sions of his own understanding ! 

To inquirers, then, of both these classes, the 
text replies, " he that believeth in the Son of God^ 
hath the witness in himself.^^ There is a test to 
which, after the diligent and devout use of all the ap- 
pointed means of coming at the truths you may bring 
your decisions. There is a " testimony" which 
may assist in guiding and comforting you amidst 
the variety and fluctuation of human opinion. 
And it is to the consideration of the testimony 
thus vouchsafed by a merciful God to his erring 
creatures, that I would now call your attention. 

In order to obtain a clearer insight into this 
subject, it is my wish to examine, 

I. What it is to " believe in the Son of 

God;" and, 
11. What it is to have "the witness in our- 
selves." 

And may He, who is the compassionate Giver 
of this inward testimony, assist us to understand 
its nature and to feel its power to-day ! 

I. In the first place, then, we are briefly to con- 
sider what it is to believe in the Son of God. 

To " believe in the Son of God," is to " trust" 
in the Son of God ; for the original word is the 
same, and they are, for the most part, convertible 
terms. In order, therefore, to come to a precise 
determination as to the nature of faith in Christy 
we ought to inquire as to what points we are 
commanded in Scripture to trust him. But, as 
the passages which refer to this point are scat- 
tered in profusion over every part of Scripture. 



THE INWARD TESTLMOxNV. I3i 

such an inquiry would involve an examination of 
the whole of the Sacred Volume. Some means, 
therefore, must be devised of abridging our la- 
bours. 

It may be sufficient, then, for our purpose, to 
observe, that the principal blessings for which 
we are commanded in Scripture to rely on the 
Son of God, may be collected under two great 
heads : first, the pardon of sin ; and, secondly, the 
change and sanctijication of the heart and life by that 
Spirit whom He will send. 

The following texts are a mere specimen of 
the passages which bear upon these points : — 
" Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away 
the sin of the world :" " The Son of man came 
to seek and to save that which was lost :" "God, 
having raised up his Son Jesus, sent Him to bless 
you, in turning away every one of you from his 
iniquities:" "I give unto" my sheep "eternal 
life, and they shall never perish, neither shall 
any man pluck them out of my hands." 

Faith, therefore, in the Son of God, is not, what 
it has sometimes been supposed, some sensible 
impression from on high. It is not the mere 
whisper of a diseased imagination. It is not the 
day-dream of fanaticism. It is not a mere unac- 
countable persuasion of our eternal safety, with- 
out any of the fruits of the Spirit in our life, to 
warrant this persuasion. Still less is it a mere 
dry, cold, speculative, and fruitless assent to the 
truth of Scripture. But it is the cordial recep- 
tion of Christ as a Saviour— firsts from the guilt ; 
and, secondly^ from ihe power of sin. It is a clear^ 
full,, affectionate^ influential,, abiding trust and reliance 
upon the merits and righteousness of the Re- 
deemer for peace and holiness, wronsjht in ns hv 



132 SERMON Vlli. 

the Holy Ghost, and producing the fruits ot a 
holy, useful, and amiable life. Such a faith, mo- 
dified indeed in some measure by the character 
of the dispensation under which it was exercis- 
ed, appears to have been the governing principle 
of the true servants of God in every age. Such, 
for instance, was the faith of Abraham, when 
" he saw the day of the Son of man, and rejoiced 
to see it." Such, probably, the faith of Job, when 
he exclaimed, " 1 know that my Redeemer liv- 
eth, and that he shall stand at the latter day 
upon the earth." Such, that of the prophets, 
when they '' looked through the darkness of in- 
tervening ages, and pointed to the Saviour who 
was to come." Such was the faith of Peter, 
when he said, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of 
the living God." Such, that of the convinced 
Thomas, when he exclaimed, " My Lord and my 
God !" Such, finally, that of Paul, when he said, 
'^ I know in whom I have believed, and am per- 
suaded that he is able to keep that which I have 
committed unto him against that day." It was 
the want of this faith which Christ himself rebuk- 
ed in the Jew^s ; " Ye will not come unto me, that 
ye might have life." It was to the privileges en- 
tailed upon the possessors of this faith he invited 
his lowly followers, ^' Come unto me, and ye shall 
find rest to your souls." It is on the presence or 
absence of this faith he suspends our eternal des- 
tinies : " He that believeth and is baptized, shall 
be saved ; he that believeth not, shall be damn- 
ed." Faith, in short, is to be considered as the 
grand instrument by which our present peace is 
secured, our personal holiness promoted ; by 
which we are snatched from the jaws of perdi- 
tion, invested with a new title to heaven, and 







THE INWARD TESTIMOiNY. 133 

with new capacities for its enjoyments and occu- 
pations. " To as many as receive Christ, to them 
gave he power to become the sons of God ; even 
to them that believe in his name." 

II. But these observations, my Christian breth- 
ren, are merely preparatory to the examination 
of the second point proposed for our considera- 
tion viz. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE BELIEVER IN THE 

Son of God having *' the witness in himself." 

In order to obtain more exact notions on this 
subject, it may be well to consider, in addition i >. 
to what has been stated on the subject of faith, I f \ 
that, by a law in the dispensations of Divine Pro- 
vidence, the man really believing in the Son of 
Gt)d, is, through the power of the Holy Spirit, 
put in actual possession of all for which he relies 
on his Redeemer. He humbly relies on him for 
" pardon," and he is pardoned. He humbly trusts 
in him for " a new heart,"'' and he is converted and 
sanctified in heart and life. " By him," it is said, 
•* all that believe are justified from all things." 
" Ye are the children of God, by faith in Christ 
Jesus." " If any man be in Christ, he is a new ^^^ 

creature." — Faith no sooner lays hold of the Sa- f 

viour's garment, than " virtue" begins to go out ^ 

of him. Faith no sooner, as in the vision of the 
Patriarch, raises the ladder between heaven and 
earth, than the blessings begin to descend. "He 
that believeth, hath everlasting life." 

And now, with these observations as a key in 
our hand, let us proceed to the examination of 
the language of our text : " He that believeth 
hath the witness in himself.''^ 

I. And considevs^first, the case of the man believ- 
ing in the Son of God as a Saviour from the guilt of 
sin. — Suppose an individual, for instance, to have 



3 



13 1 SERMON Vllf. 

been just awakened to a sense of his lost condi- 
tion as a sinner. Imagine him, after years of 
guilt and folly, to have this one sentence of Scrip- 
ture fastened by the Spirit of the Lord upon his 
conscience, "The wicked shall be turned into 
hell, and all the people that forget God." What, 
if he took a just view of his circumstances, would 
be his language ? ' Shall the wicked be turned 
into hell ? then what is to become of me ! whi- 
ther shall I fly for refuge ! If I take the wings of 
the morning, and flee into the uttermost parts of 
the earth, even there shall the eye of God follow 
me, and his hand pour on me the fiery vials of 
his wrath. I cannot be my own saviour ; ^ I 
am, at the best, " an unprofitable servant." Nei- 
ther can any other man save me ; for " no man 
can redeem his brother." What, then, is to be- 
come of me ! in what cleft of the rock shall 1 hide 
myself? what mountain will fall on me, to cover 
me from the wrath of Him that sitteth on the 
throne ?' 

1 see no end, my brethren, to such a medita- 
tion, simply and honestly conducted, without any 
reference to the Son of God, but that of deep 
and irremediable despair. Hopeless, helpless, 
and unutterable anguish is the natural heritage 
of the man discovering his guilt without discover- 
ing his Saviour. But, now, change the scene. 
Suppose the poor creature, thus overwhelmed by 
the burden of guilt, to catch from any messenger 
of God some echo of the song of the heavenly 
host, "Unto you is born a Saviour, which is 
Christ the Lord." Suppose the voice of mercy 
to whisper to his distracted mind, ' You are in- 
deed deeply guilty ; but God is ready to forgive 
vou. and welcome vou to his bouse and to his bo- 



THE INWARD TESTIMOM. 135 

soiii — -lie that hath the Son, hath life" — '^be- 
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
saved" — the Saviour of the world has opened to 
you the path to heaven, has prepared for jou the 
seats of joy, and the regions of glory.' — Conceive 
only this poor, dejected creature to believe and 
to welcome this intelligence : what a new train 
of sensations will burst in upon his soul ! How 
will he exclaim, ' Then I also may be saved ; 
" to me is this grace given ;" for me is this tri- 
umph prepared ; " all things may be mine, if only 
I am His." ' — Is this delineation, my Christian 
brethren, just ? Bringing it, then, to bear upon 
the doctrine of the text, I would ask, whether the 
individual thus escaping by the power of the Gos- 
pel from despair to hope, from anguish to joy, 
from death to life, does not possess a " testimo- 
ny" of the truth and value of the principles he 
has embraced, of the most convincing nature.'* 
Is not his case somewhat analagous to the his- 
tory of the woman cured by the Saviour of her 
'• issue of blood .'^" Would any proof, however 
logical and close, of the power of Christ to cure 
diseases, have been as strong to her as the fact 
that she herself had been cured ? Would she not 
have replied to any objector against his Divine 
mission, ' Say what you will, it is impossible for 
me to doubt. I had also searched the Scriptures, 
and discovered in Christ many of the marks of 
the predicted Messiah. Led by this discovery, 
I carried to him a disease of many years stand- 
ing, and on which human physicians had tried 
their skill in vain. Jesus did but speak the word, 
and 1 was " loosed from my infirmity." Can /, 
then, doubt whether he is the Son of God and 
>he Saviour of the world ?' — And thus, my bretb- 



1- 



136 SERMOiN Vlli. 

ren, may the very humblest Christian, when res- 
cued from his fears and his anguish, reason: 'I 
am a poor ignorant creature, unable to dispute 
with you. Nevertheless, hear what I have to say 
— I did what I could to inform myself — I heard, 
and I prayed ; and this one thing I know, that, 
whereas my principles found me miserable, they 
have made me happy ; whereas they found me 
in the spirit of heaviness, they have clothed me 
in the garments of joy ; whereas they found me 
on the brink of perdition, they have lifted me to 
the very gate of heaven. I had long sought for 
peace in every human channel : I sought it, but 
found it not, till I cast myself, in contrition of 
soul, at the feet of my Saviour ; " his name, by 
faith in his name," hath made me whole.' — Sure- 
ly, surely, my Christian brethren, it may be safely 
affirmed of such an individual, that " believing in 
the Son of God," he " has the witness in himseip'*— 
He has, in addition to all he may have read or 
heard, a *' testimony," in the happiness he has 
derived from his principles, which is the strong- 
est confirmation of their truth and value. 

2. But, secondly, take the case of the indivi- 
dual believing in the Son of God, as his Saviour 
from the power of sin. 

Suppose a man, for instance, to have been la- 
bouring for years, by the exercise of reason, oy 
resolution, or any mere natural power, without 
the aid of Christ, or of his Spirit, to subdue the 
corruptions of his own heart, and to correct the 
irregularities of his practice. And suppose him, 
as will always be the case with such labourers in 
their own strength, to have toiled altogether in 
vain ; that his appetites are as strong, his tem- 
pers as fierce, his tongue as unbridled, and his 



THK IxNWARD TEST.1M0NV. 137 

conduct as irregular as ever. Suppose, further, 
that, at length, weary with these fruitless eflforts, 
he listen to the invitations of Christ, and seek the 
changing efficacy of that blessed Spirit whom 
the Saviour promised to send. He no sooner 
surrenders himself to the call, and bows, in hum- 
ble and devout supplication, for the strength and 
energy of the Holy Spirit upon his soul, than an 
improvement begins to take place. He finds that 
the strength which did not reside in himself, or 
in any human means, does reside in his Saviour; 
that the '' grace" of his Lord is '* sufficient for 
him ;" that the arm of the Son of God is mighty to 
" pull dowti the strong-hold of sin" in his soul, 
and to establish a new empire of holiness and 
love; that although he could "of himself do no- 
thing," he " can do all things through Christ 
which strengtheneth him." But, my brethren, if 
such be the history of the individual we have 
been contemplating, and such the new power 
communicated through the Gospel to his soul, 
vvill not such a man have a testimony to the truth 
and value of his principles peculiar to himseH? 
Will not the fact, that, under the influence of the 
Holy Spirit, they have wrought such a change in his 
own temper and practice^ surround them with new 
authority, and with a brighter glory } May not 
his case, also, be illustrated by the scriptural nar- 
rative of " the man born blind," and cured by 
the power of the Redeemer.'^ The Jews reason 
with this simple individual; they endeavour to 
perplex him with subtleties, and to fill him with 
doubts as to the character and dignity of Christ. 
But, observe his reply to them all; "Whether 
He be" (as ye endeavour to prove him) " a sin- 
ner, I know not: but this one thins: I know, that 



138 SERMON Vlli. 

whereas i was blind, now I see : since the world 
began, was it not heard that any man opened the 
eyes of him that was born blind." And, in like 
manner, may not the individual who is gradually, 
under the power of the Gospel, escaping from 
the bondage of sin, from the iron grasp of appe- 
tite and lust, of a worldly spirit and a polluted 
taste ; the individual who, like Peter when touch- 
ed by the angel, feels the chains of his corrup- 
tion drop from him ; — may not such a man say, 
' I am unable to dispute with you : I have neither 
knowledge nor ability to expose the fallacy of 
your objections against "the truth as it is in Je- 
sus ;" but this one thing I know, that whereas I 
was blind, now I see; 1 was corrupt, and I am 
gradually, under his grace, shaking off my cor- 
ruption ; I was weak, and am now growing in 
strength; I w^as the slave of the world, and am 
obtaining daily conquests over it. I find a power 
in these principles, which appears to me to re- 
side in no other ; and, however you may deny 
their worth, they are to me as the " shadow of a 
great rock in a weary land ;" they are " light in 
the darkness," and life from the dead.' — Surely 
such a believer in the Son of God hath " the wit- 
ness in himself." 

It would be easy, my brethren, to extend this 
reasoning, by applying it to a larger number of 
cases. But I venture to hope that enough has 
been advanced to illustrate the important state- 
ments of the text ; and that all who, in depend- 
ence upon the Spirit of God, have simply and ho- 
nestly given their mind to the subject, will be 
disposed to admit that the real believer in Christ 
has a " testimony" peculiar to himself, indepen- 
dent of other testimony, — ^inward, and personal. 



THE INWARD TESTIMONY. 139 

and practical ; on which he may rest, calmly, and 
joyfully, and triumphantly, as on the " anchor of 
the soul, sure and steadfast," amidst all the 
storms and trials of this world of change, and per- 
turbation, and dispute. Others, partly because 
he cannot put them in possession of the facts by 
which he is convinced, may be astonished at his 
confidence. They may possibly impute it to 
rashness or enthusiasm. But he knows it to be 
sober and just, because founded upon the sober- 
est and most practical of all principles ; " by 
their fruits ye shall know them :" and, in reply 
to every objection, he will simply ask, " Can men 
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles .'^" 

But I now hasten in conclusion, to address 
certain classes of individuals deeply interested, 
as it appears to me, in the foregoing argument. 

1. And, in the first place, let me speak to the 
poor and ignorant, — A state of ignorance is such 
an evil, my Christian brethren, as that a man 
should be no more satisfied to remain in it, than 
to live in perpetual darkness, when he might en- 
joy the pure beams of the sun. Still, as " the 
poor shall not cease out of the land," there will 
always be much necessary ignorance in every 
stage of society. There will be many who are able 
even less than the rich and instructed, to satisfy 
themselves, either of the truth of the Gospel, or 
of their own view of the Gospel, by the means 
of reading, or argument, or outward proof. Be- 
hold, then, what the goodness of the Lord has 
done for you. It is true that you are carefully to 
employ every outward means by which your un- 
derstanding may be informed, and your belief 
established. You are, as far as you are able, to 
-' search the Scriptures." You ar^ devoutly to 



141) SKRMON VIIJ. 

pray over them for the teaching of the Hoi j Spirit. 
You are humbly and diligently to listen to the 
ministers of religion, and to the counsels of the 
wise and good. But, in addition to these means, 
the mercy of God supplies you with a plain 
practical test of the highest value, " he who be- 
iieveth in the Son of God hath the witness in 
himself." What are the fruits of your princi- 
ples .'^ Do they make you ^'^hapjpxjV^ do they 
make you " hohj ?" do they accomplish for 
you what nothing else can accomplish.'^ are they 
gradually lifting you above the cares of life } are 
they gradually strengthening you against its 
temptations ? are they speaking peace, and giv- 
ing purity to the mind ? Then, hcre^ my bre- 
thren, is the inward witness. Here is an evi- 
dence which, when it comes in support of the 
other testimonies to which I have referred, no- 
thing ought to shake. We may say of these 
principles, as the blind man said of Christ : "iP* 
they were "not of God, they could do nothing." 
And I may add, if such be your state, *' let not 
your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," 
2. Secondly, let me speak to persons who are 
doubtful and anxious about their own state before God, 
—You, my brethren, perhaps under mistakeji 
views of religion, have been longing for some 
ser)sible mark of the Divine favour; for some 
voice from heaven ; some peculiar manifestation ; 
some " sign" from God, to assure you that your 
principles are just, and your persons accepted 
of him. But " no other sign shall be given you," 
than that suggested by the text; ''by their fruits 
ye shall know them." If our principles be such 
as appear to us, after serious prayer and inves- 
tigation, to have the warrant of Scripture; and 
if. throufi^h the Divine mercv, thev are rendering 



THE INWARD TESTIMONY. 141 

US holi/ and happy^ no other testimony is wanted. 
Such principles, and such individuals, have the 
*'seal of God," that " they are his." The Lord 
is with you, though you know it not. His pre- 
sence in the soul is manifested by the sanctity 
and peace which he has diffused over it. 

3. In the third place, I would speak to those 
individuals who, with much respect for the prin- 
ciples of the Gospel, are in the deepest alarm as to 
the abuse of them to purposes of enthusiasm or vice, — 
3ehoId, my brethren, the real practical character 
of the principles you so much dread ; " he that 
believeth in the Son of God, hath the witness in 
hiro elf;" he that really believes, will carry along 
with him this testimony of his faith, that he is 
growing in general goodness, and in pure and 
abiding joy. This alone is the " faith" which 
"justifies :" this alone is the faith w^hich connects 
us with the Redeemer, and invests us with the 
promises and privileges of the Gospel. "Faith 
without w orks is dead." Real faith is a living 
and active principle, and such are its fruits. 

4. And, finally, I would say to all whom I am 
addressing, Seek, by earnest and devout cultiva- 
tion of the "fruits of the Spirit" in your temper 
and conduct, to obtain more and more of that in- 
ward testimony which we have been contemplating. 
If these reasonings be just, you cannot separate 
Christian peace from Christian conduct. Peace 
without holiness and usefulness is delusioh — is 
the calm of disease, and the prelude of death. 
" Give diligence, then, to make your calling and 
election sure ;" to have a well-founded hope of 
eternal life ; to possess, in every moment of doubt 
and distress, a testimony sanctioned by Scrip- 
ture and acceptable to God : to be enrolled 



H'2 SERMON VIII. 

amidst the numbers of those to whom God will 
*' give in his house, and within his walls, a place 
and a name better than of sons and daughters." 
Remember, for your eternal consolation, the pro- 
mise of the great Father of a fallen and disquiet- 
ed world ; " The mountains shall depart, and 
the hills be removed ; but my kindness shall not 
depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of 
my peace be removed. No weapon formed 
against thee shall prosper.... TAe> is the heritage 
of the servants of the Lord, and their righteous- 
ness is of me, saith the Lord." — May these pro- 
mises, my brethren, be yours ! May you enjoy 
in its fullest measure the testimony described in 
the text, till you exchange faith for sight, in the 
glorious presence of your Father and your God ! 



SERMON IX. 



THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS.— ON DECAY IN RE^ 
LIGION. 



REV. ii. 1—7. 

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write : These 
things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his 
right hand^ who walketh in the midst of the seven 
golden candlesticks ; I know thy works^ and thy hi' 
bour^ and thy patience^ and how thou canst not bear 
them which are evil : and thou hast tried them which 
say they are apostles^ and are not^ and hast found 
them liars : And hast borne^ and hxist patience^ and 
for my name's sake hast laboured,^ and hast not faint- 
ed, JVevertheless I have somewhat against thee^ 
because thou hast left thy first love. Remember 
therefore from whence thou art fallen; and repent^ 
and do the first works ; or else I will come unto 
thee quickly^ and will remove thy candlestick out of 
his place,, except thou repent. But this thou hast^ 
that thou hatest the deeds of the JVicolaitanes, which 
I also hate. He that hath an ear,, let him hear what 
the Spirit saith unto the churches ; To him that 
overcoineth will I give to eat of the tree oflife^ 
vjhich is in the midst of the paradise of God. 

The Saviour, of whom so sublime a descrip- 
tion is presented to us in the verses vv'hich pre- 
cede the text, is introduced by St. John, in the 



144 SEP.MON IX. 

words now read, as conveying his first message 
to the seven churches of Asia. 

The church of Ephesus, to which the Apostle 
is thus commissioned, in the first instance, to ad- 
dress himself, is perhaps thus distinguished on 
account of its extent and importance. Ephesus 
was a city of Ionia ; was celebrated for a temple 
of the heathen goddess Diana; and was called 
by a distinguished ancient geographer the 
" Light of the Earth." There St. Paul had re- 
sided for some years, and had founded an exten- 
sive church. To the elders of that church the 
affecting address recorded in the 26th chapter 
of the Acts was delivered ; and to its members 
in general he directs one of his most valuable 
Epistles. Let us proceed, in dependence upon 
that blessed Spirit by whom these words were 
dictated, to consider, 

I. The commendation contained in the text- 

II. The reproof. 

III. The counsel. 

IV. The threats. 

V. The promise with which the text 

closes. 
L In the first place, I am to consider the com- 
mendation bestowed in the text on the church 

OF ephesus. 

And, first, it is said of it, in one part of these 
verses, " / knoiv thy works and thy labour ;" and, in 
another, ^'for my JVame's sake thou hast laboured 
and not fainted^ The church of Ephesus, it 
would appear then from these words, had been 
for a time fruitful in good " works." Although, 
it is to be hoped, not looking to be justified by 
works, or offering them as the price of pardon 
to God, they had yet felt that a faith unproduc- 



ON DKCAY IN RELIGION. ] A) 

live of works is " dead," and altogether worth- 
less in his sight. 

These " works" and " labours," says our 
Lord in the text, "/^noi^j." — Every prayer, eve- 
ry act of zeal, of benevolence, or love, is fami- 
liar to the compassionate Saviour of the world. 
" Thy prayer is heard," it is said in one place, 
"■• and thine alms are had in remembrance be- 
fore God ;" and, in another, " inasmuch as ye 
have done it unto one of the least of these, ye 
have done it unto me." 

It is next added in the text, " / know thy pa- 
(ience.^^ The servant of the Lord, my Christian 
brethren, has need ofpatienceas well as of acti- 
vity. Much is to be suffered as well as done in 
the service of the Master he loves. He has to 
bear with his own infirmities, with the inconsist- 
encies of the friends of religion, with the injus- 
tice of its enemies, with the slow progress of 
truth in the world, and the occasional triumphs 
of ungodliness. " Ye have need of patience, 
that ye might receive the promises." And re- 
signation such as this, it appears the Ephesians, 
for a season at least, had manifested. 

" I know ^^^ it is also said in the text, " that thou 
canst not bear them which are eve/," and " hatest the 
deeds of the JVicolaitanes^ which I also hate.'''' The 
Ephesians, therefore, had not merely avoided 
sin themselves, but had resisted it in others. 
Indifference to the sin of those around us, is, ge- 
nerally speaking, a strong evidence of its power 
. in our own souls. Let not (Christian " patience" 
be confounded with insensibility such as this. 
Our Ijord himself made a scourge to drive from 
the temple those who profaned it. And, as 
Christians, you are bound not merelv to hate sin, 
T 



14b SERMON IX. 

but to manifest your hatred of all contempt of 
the Saviour, and resistance to his will. You 
are commanded to " withdraw yourselves from 
such as " walk disorderly." You are to " have 
no concord with Belial." You are to " come 
out" from the wicked, and " be separate." You 
are not to reduce that difference to a mere line 
here, which is to be a great " gulf" in eternity. . 

The Ephesians are next commended for their 
conduct totvards the JVicolaitanes, It is difficult to 
ascertain who these Nicolaitanes were. Some 
have imagined them to be the followers of Ni- 
cholas, a corrupt deacon of the church of Christ. 
A distinguished Hebrew scholar has, on the con- 
trary, conjectured that the word is derived from 
the Hebrew nicolah^ ' to eat ;' and that the term 
JVicolaitan is, therefore, a mere name of reproach, 
bestowed upon those wretched sensualists who 
make their appetite their god, and consume 
their lives in making " provision for the lusts of 
the flesh." But, whatever be the class of men 
to whom this name applies, it is evident that 
they were enemies to the Cross of Christ ; and 
that, as such, the Ephesians had resisted and 
condemned them, and now received, as their 
recompense, the commendation of Christ. 

It is added by our Lord in the text, '^ I know 
that thou hast tried them which say they are apostles. 
and are not ; and hast found them liarsJ^^ In other 
words : the Ephesians, in some stage of their 
Christian profession, had carefully adopted the 
scriptural rule of " proving all things," and 
" holding fast" only " that which is good." They 
had not fallen into the error of confounding the 
appearance with the reality of religion — its sha- 
dow with its substance. That species of liber- 



ON DECAY IN RELIGION. 147 

ality which carelessly and gratuitously assigns 
the privileges and distinctions of a real Christian 
to every mere pretender to the name, is the oflP- 
spring, not of love, but of indifference to God. 
" The true worshippers shall worship the Fa- 
ther in spirit and in truth, for the Father seek- 
eth such to worship him." 

Such, then, my Christian brethren, were the 
subjects of commendation in the early charac- 
ter of the Ephesian Church. Such they had 
been perhaps for some time after the first pro- 
mulgation of the Gospel among them. They had 
sprung up like flowers from the marshes of hea- 
thenism. Every eye had been fixed upon them, 
contemplating with surprise and delight their 
rapid growth, their fair colours, and their exqui- 
site form. Observe, then, 

If. Secondly, The reproof which our Lord 
PASSES on THEM. " JS^cverthelcss^^'^ he says, " / 
have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy 
first love.'*'' 

Here, then, was their peculiar offence, that 
this fair flower had withered ; that their love for 
their God and Saviour had decayed ; that they 
exhibited little more at present than the relics 
of a church once so distinguished in the eyes of 
God and man. And how common is such decay 
in the history, both of collective bodies of profes- 
sing Christians, and in that of individuals ! 

Look, for instance, at all the churches address- 
ed by the Saviour in this and the following 
chapter. What is become of their early zeal 
and devotion ? Look, also, at many modern 
churches, in which scarcely any thing is left of 
Christianity but the name. And even in those 
Christian communities which have fallen the 



148 SERMON IX. 

least below their original standard, are there not 
many examples of adherence to the form, while 
all the substance and reality of religion are sa- 
crificed ? 

H^ instead df contemplating large bodies of 
men, you look at the individual members of the 
church of God, do not the same melancholy facts 
present themselves ? Are there none, in the cir- 
cles of society in which we are accustomed to 
move, in whom we perceive the marks of decay ? 
Are there not multitudes, who, in the expressive 
language of the text, have " left their first 
love ?" who, through an attachment to the world, 
or the fear of reproach, or the gradual neglect 
of the means of grace, have forfeited the zeal, 
and earnestness, and courage, by which their 
early steps in religion were characterized ? 
Have we never to regret the absence of those 
from our religious assemblies, who were wont to 
be the first and the most eager in pressing to the 
house and altar of God ? Are there none faint- 
ing under the pressure of domestic cares ; or 
sinking on the lap of sensual indulgence ; or en- 
tangled in the fine network which the world 
spreads around their feet ? Is there no Demas, 
who " hath forsaken us, because he loved the 
present world ?" 

But let not this language be mistaken. It is 
far from my intention to lay any additional bur- 
den on those tender and lowly spirits already 
bowed down by the sense of their guilt and in- 
firmity. That sensibility of conscience, my 
Christian brethren ; that alarm at the first symp- 
toms of decay ; that anxiety to be right; t!;at 
fear of the slightest estrangement from your God 
and Saviour, which are such prominent features 



ON DECAY IN RFXIGION. 149 

in your character, are incontrovertible evidences 
that the work of apostacy has made no real pro- 
gress in your own hearts. Real decay in reli- 
gion is invariably accompanied by torpor of 
mind; and, as in the case of mortification in the 
body, the pain is the least where the disease is 
the most violent. It is not, therefore, to the 
contrite or the fearful — to the individuals whose 
eyes fill with tears, and their hearts with sorrow, 
where the mere possibility of their own separa- 
tion from God is suggested — that I am speak- 
ing; but to the man madly presuming that some 
such provision is made for his own eternal safe- 
ty as may warrant him in carelessness, or spirit- 
ual sloth, or approximation to the world, or neg- 
ligence in the means of grace. The lessons of 
the text are those so continually insisted upon in 
Scripture ; " Let him that thinketh he standeth, 
take heed lest he fall" — " if any man draw back, 
my soul shall have no pleasure in him." May 
these sayings sink deep into the heart of every 
individual amongst us; and may we " hold fast 
the profession of our faith without wavering !" 
You guard against the principle of decay in the 
construction of the proudest edifice, or in the 
protection of the strongest body. Remember, 
then, that decay is not confined to material ob- 
jects, or satisfied merely with the infliction of 
temporal mischief Remember, that the enemy 
of souls considers no bosom as too sacred to in- 
vade ; that he pushes on his attack to the very 
heart where grace has established its dominion ; 
and essays to snatch even from the altar of the 
Lord, those who have " tasted the good word 
of God, and the powers of the world to come." 



150 SERMON IX. 

" Simon, Siinon, Satan hath desired toTiave you, 
that he might sift you as wheat." 
III. But let us consider, thirdly, the counsel 

GIVEN to the church OF EpHESUS UNDER THESE 

CIRCUMSTANCES. It is coHveyed in these words : 
'* Remember^ therefore^ from whence thou art fallen^ 
and repent^ and do thy first works. "^"^ 

The first counsel here given to them, is to 
" remember from whence they had fallen^ — It is 
well, my Christian brethren, when threatened 
with decay or apostacy in religion, to go back to 
the early stages of our own history ; to that hap- 
py season of life, when, under the visitations of 
Providence, or the preaching of the word, we 
first awoke from the sleep of sin and ruin, to de- 
vote ourselves to the service of God. " Ye did 
run well," says St. Paul to the Galatians ; " who 
doth hinder you, that ye should not obey the 
truth .'^" " Remember from whence thou art 
fallen." Remember the high standard you once 
proposed to yourself, the duties you discharged, 
the comforts and privileges you enjoyed. Re- 
member the hours of communion with God, and 
of cordial intercourse with his people, once 
vouchsafed to you. What have you gained in 
exchange for these ? What is there, in the gifts 
of this poor, fugitive, empty world — in its friend- 
ships, its follies, or its honours — to set against 
your former happiness ? Do you not feel that 
you have forsaken the " living fountains," to 
drink out of a " broken cistern ?" Are you not 
at this very instant weary of the distinctions you 
have won, and of the society in which you live ; 
and, whilst perhaps you would be miserable 
without them, are you not nearly as miserable 
when surrounded by them ? 



ON DECAV IN RELIGION. 151 

But it is said in the text, not merely " remem- 
ber from whence thou art fallen," but " repent,^'' 
In other words, Return to the God whom you 
have forsaken — " Arise, and say to your Father, 
I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 
and am no more worthy to be called thy son," — 
It is one of the mischiefs of a spirit of apostacy 
in religion, that it veils from us the enormity of 
the crime involved in such a frame of mind. But 
surely, my brethren, if any offence ought to be 
followed by deep contrition of soul, it is this. 
Apostacy is not, like some other offences, the act 
of inexperience or surprise. It is a sin of deli- 
beration and knowledge. It is the willing 
abandonment of a God, whose mercy you have 
known ; and the contempt of happiness, whose 
worth you have tried. Upon such offenders, 
therefore, if upon any, we may urge the language 
of Scripture ; " Repent, if perhaps" thy sin 
" may be forgiven" — " repent, and be converted, 
that your sin may be blotted out" — '' turn ye uq- 
to the Lord with all your heart, and with fasting, 
and weeping, an J with mourning; rend your 
hearts — and turn to the Lord your God." Live 
not willingly for an hour in a state which is the 
immediate prelude to destruction. " Escape for 
your life," when the storm of ruin is beginning to 
break over you. 

But the Ephesians are also counselled in the 
text to " do their first works^ One of the chief 
causes of decay in religion, is the forgetting that 
the means necessary for first bringing us to God, 
are no less essential for retaining us steadily and 
consistently in his service. To " watch and to 
pray," was no less the duty of the disciples when 
they had " left all for Christ," than when thev 



J 52 .-iEKMO-N i\. 

first appi'oaclied his presence, and sought his 
pardon and love. You are, then, in this sense, 
to " do your first works." Go to the same 
" fountain" to be washed from your guilt, and to 
the same Spirit to be healed of your corruption. 
Humble yourself, with the same prostration of 
soul as in the very infancy of religion. Pray as 
intensely, watch as anxiously, as when you first 
planted your foot on the threshold of the temple 
of God. But the text may possibly design some- 
thing further. One way of returning to God, is, 
by the aid of his Spirit, to act as though tve had re- 
turned. The heart commonly misleads the prac- 
tice, but it will sometimes follow it ; its sincere 
endeavour to obey will be blessed by the Spirit 
of God, and the disposition to obey will be com- 
municated. Resume, therefore, under God, my 
brethren, your old standard of duty, and your 
old rule and habits of life. In the strength of 
the Lord " do thy first works." Avoid the 
world as though you hated it. Read, and me- 
ditate, and pray, as though all these occupations 
were delightful to you. Thus labour to stretch 
out the " withered arm," and in the effort it 
shall be cured. But consider, 

IVthly. The threat by Which these counsels 
ARE ACCOMPANIED. " Rcpcnt," or " I will come 
unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick 
out of his place, unless thou repent.'''' 

How strong is the figure here employed to 
signify the state of total darkness, destitution, 
and misery, to which God will reduce those who 
remain in a state of final impenitence and apos- 
tacy ; and how awfully has the curse then pre- 
dicted been fulfilled in the case of the very 
church we are now considering! The city of 



ON BECAY IN RELIGION. V)3 

Ephesus, which was once, as we liave seen, call- 
ed the " Light of the Earth*" where is it now ? 
After suffering a variety of previous calamities, 
the Turks, in the fourteenth centurj, burst in up- 
on it like a flood, and laid waste all its remain- 
ing splendours. A traveller, who visited it with- 
in a few years, describes it as consisting of fif- 
teen small cottages, and containing no more than 
three individuals who profess the Gospel of Je- 
sus Christ. If, therefore, my brethren, you ask 
for the interpretation of the figure in the text, "I 
will remove thy candlestick (or light) out of his 
place," behold it in facts such as these. O how 
awful is the infatuation which closes the eyes of 
the sinner upon the impending judgments of God, 
if removed only to the smallest distance from us! 
What traveller, standing amidst the ruins of Ephe- 
sus, would fail to condemn the fatuity and hardness 
of heart of its ancient inhabitants? And yet, as 
certainly as they have fallen, so certainly shall 
" the wicked be turned into hell, and all the peo- 
ple that^r^-^^ God." The authority which issu- 
ed the threat of the text, is the same which said, 
" Except ye repent, ye sh^ll all likewise perish," 
" without faith it is impossible to please God" — 
" without holiness, no man shall see the Lord." 
It is possible, my brethren, that in this congre- 
gation there may be apostates from God ; or in- 
dividuals who have never come, even lor a mo- 
ment, with contrition to the foot of the Cross ; 
and who are notwithstanding at ease about their 
own circumstances, have no fears about eternity, 
and are even disposed to triumph over the poor 
penitent walking so dejectedly at their side. 
But let me say to these hardy offenders, "if our 
Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are losf^'^ Is it 
U 



154 SERMON iX. 

only the cities of Asia which are to suffer the 
penalties of Almighty wrath ? What is there in 
our own circumstances which is to license vice, 
or worldliness, or dissipation, or cold neutrality 
in the cause of God and holiness? Ought not 
our progress to be proportioned to our privile- 
ges ; our knowledge to our instruction ; our love 
to our mercies; and, if God has been especially 
a Father to us, ought we not to be especially 
his children? If, when God looketh in his 
vineyard for grapes, he find only " wild grapes," 
must we not expect the predicted vengeance ? 
Already, already, my brethren, has the curse be- 
gun to descend on some offenders. Already are 
their eyes blinded and their hearts stupified. And 
can we avoid fearing, that the victims thus pre- 
pared for the slaughter will be soon led to de- 
struction ? 

But I turn with satisfaction to the 

Vth. and last point to be noticed in the text ; 

viz. THE PROMISE WITH WHICH IT CONCLUDES. It is 

contained in these striking words; '' f/e that hath 
an ear^ let him hear what the Spirit saith to the church- 
es ; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the 
tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of 
God!^' — How true is it, of the gracious Being we 
serve, that "in judgment he remembers mer- 
cy !" How closely, in this and many other instan- 
ces, are the threats of Scripture followed by 
proclamgitions of love, sympathy, and compas- 
sion ! The careless and declining Christian 
has no sooner been ^ere warned of his danger, 
than it pleases God, in pity to the weakness of 
his creatures, to issue the declaration of mercy 
I have now read to you ; " To him that over- 
cometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which 
i^i in the midst of the paradise of God." 



ON UECAY IN RELIGION. 155 

Observe here, first, who are the subjects of this 
promise : " To him that overcometh.^^ — This ex- 
pression plainly implies a conflict and a victory. 
The promise is not to the indolent, to the neu- 
tral, to the shrinking or temporizing servant of 
the Lord. It is to you who, feeling the corruption 
of jour heart, and the awful struggle jou have 
to carry on with the powers of darkness, go 
forth in the armour of the Lord to the conflict, 
winning every day fresh ground from the enemy, 
and erecting new trophies to the grace of the 
Redeemer. Such a warrior was St. Paul, when 
he says, " So fight 1, not as one that beateth the 
air, but I keep under my body, and bring it into 
subjection, lest by any means, when I have 
preached to others, I myself should become a 
cast-away." Such also is the conflict he pre- 
scribes to his young convert Timothy : " Thou, 
therefore, endure hardness^ as the good soldier of 
Jesus Christ." And, my brethren, let it never 
be forgotten, that it is the service of God, and 
not the service of the devil, which demands real 
courage and magnanimity. What courage can 
it require to swear when others swear; to break 
the Sabbath when others break it ; to ridicule 
religion when others ridicule it; to be as worldly, 
and trifling, and ostentatious as the mass of so- 
ciety around us ? The real courage is in resist- 
ing what is wrong; in opposing reverence to 
blasphemy, holiness to pollution, and seriousnes 
to the spirit of levity, and dissipation, and earth- 
liness. The real magnanijmity is in being bold 
for God and goodness, when so many others are 
traitors to the banner of the Cross. 



I 50 SERMON IX. 

Observe, next, the nature of the promise : •' To 
him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree 
of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God,'''' — 
This language also is figurative, and is designed 
to assure us that no gift, which it is in the power 
of God to bestow, will be withheld from the tri- 
umphant Christian. The fruit of that " tree of 
life" which was in the midst of the first " Para- 
dise," was denied to our first parents, because 
perpetual life in this world would have been a 
Gurse, instead of a blessing, to fallen man. But 
God will give to him that overcometh the fruit of 
eternal life. There is, my Christian brethren, 
another and a better paradise — the paradise of - 
heaven ; the paradise of which God himself is the 
light, and the glorj, and the joy — a paradise of 
sweets which never satiate ; the sun of whose 
pleasures never goes down, and the river of 
whose joys never fails. In the midst of it, we 
are told, is the " tree of life," the " leaves" of 
which are for " the healing of the nations." And 
this is the tree whose fruit is promised to the true 
Christian, and of which he who eats shall "hun- 
ger no more," but shall be as holy and happy as 
the power of the Most High can make him. Ap- 
ply this to your consolation, ye servants of a cru- 
cified Saviour. Your life may seem now to have 
little which reminds us of the paradise of God; 
but you stand, from hour to hour, on its very 
confines. That visitation, which shall add to 
your other trials what has been termed the " last 
agony, ^'' shall, in an instant, break all your bonds, 
dispel all your sorrows; shall lift you over the 
walls of the heavenly city, land you on the mar- 
gin of its living fountains, and make all its joys 
your own for ever. What a prospect, my Chris- 



1 



ON#DECAY IN RELIGION. 1 ol 

tiaii brethren, is this ! What a motive for love, 
and gratitude, and perseverance ! And how un- 
reasonable is it to repine at evils, every one of 
which is, in fact, by abridging your stay here, 
cutting short your trials, and hastening your flight 
to the paradise of God ! If, on the one hand, we 
have reason to say, " I had fainted, unless I had 
believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the 
land of the living ;" on the other, the view of that 
land, however distant, is sufficient to calm us in 
trouble, and fill us with " peace and joy in the 
Holy Ghost." Who will continue to mourn, that 
hopes to " see the King in his glory, and the land 
that is very far off?" 

And now allow me, in conclusion, to urge, 
upon all to whom I am speaking, the words with 
which this promise of the text is ushered in ; 
*' He that hath an ear to hear^ let him hear what the 
Spirit saith unto the Churches,^"* It is the Spirit of 
God, my Christian brethren, who speaks; and he 
speaks, you will observe, not merely to the 
church of Ephesus, but to all the '* churches^'* of 
the Redeemer. Let every individual member of 
the church of Christ, therefore listen to the va- 
rious instructions of the text. 

Are you here reminded, that the Saviour 
^* walks among the branches of light ^'^'^ or amidst the 
churches which serve him ? Endeavour, then, 
to live habitually and constantly, as though in 
His sacred presence. Depend upon Him for 
light, for peace, for life ; and say to him, " Thou 
wilt show me the path of life : in thy presence is 
fulness of joy, and at thy right hand are pleasures 
for evermore," 

Are you here also assured that this Saviour 
marks everjf declension of the heart, and will awfully 



• 



J 58 sjERMOxN IX. 

punish the impenitent? Flee, then, from his 
wrath to his love — from his judgment-seat to his 
cross. 

Are you here also instructed that He watches 
over his weak and struggling servant with the ten- 
derest anxiety, and promises him the most effec- 
tual assistance } Go to him, then, first for a dis- 
position to contend with sin, and then for power 
to subdue it. " Put on the whole armour of God." 
Invest yourself in the righteousness and strength 
of your Redeemer. To-day the contest is possi- 
ble, and victory, under his grace, is certain : to- 
morrow you may have sinned beyond the reach 
of grace or the hope of mercy. Take refuge in 
the love of that Saviour who is able to present you 
pure and faultless, "without spot or wrinkle," 
before the throne of God. " Be thou faithful unto 
death, and He will give thee a crown of life." 
Rest upon him, live for him, be content to sud^er 
with him, and he shall " put a crown of pure 
gold upon your head." 



% 



SERMON X. 

J HE CHURCH OF SMYRNA. —ON CONSTANCY IN 
RELIGION. 

REV. ii. 8—11. 

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write ; 
These things saith the First and the JLast^ which 
was dead and is alive; I know thy works^ and 
tribulation^ and poverty^ (but thou art rich»,) and I 
know the blasphemy of them which say they are 
Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer : 
behold, the devil shall casi some of you into prison^ 
that ye may be tried: and ye shall have tribulation 
ten days ; be thou faithful unto death, and I will 
give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let 
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches ; 
He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second 
death, 

Smyrna, the city to which this second epistle 
lo the churches of Asia is addressed, is a city 
of Ionia, at the distance of about forty-five miles 
from Ephesus. It is called by Pliny " the se- 
cond city of Asia." Of this place the celebrated 
Polycarp was for some time the bishop. And as, 
by the testimony of Irenaeus, he was appointed to 
that high office by the apostles themselves, it is 
by no means improbable that he was tbe very 
•' angel," or president, of" the church of Smyr- 



f 



Iti'J SERMON X. 

na," to whom this epistle was, in the first in- 
stance, addressed. I'he "church of this city was 
probably founded by St. Paul himself, by whose 
means, it is said, " all jisia heard the word of the 
Lord Jesus." And even to the end of the eighth 
century, it remained in possession of much of its 
original splendour and extent; and at the pre- 
sent moment contains many thousand professors 
of the Gospel of Christ. 

It will be my .endeavour, in dependence upon 
the Divine blessing, to examine the several 
parts of which this address is composed, and to 
call your attention in succession, 

i. to the description here given of the 
Saviour of the world ; 

ii. to the circumstances op the church of 
Sbiyrna at this particular period; 

iii. to the trials predicted to that church ; 

IV. To THE DUTIES ENJOINED UPON IT,* atld^ 

V. To THE PROMISES MADE TO IT. 

I. And, first, we are to consider the descrip- 

nON HERE GIVEN OF THE SaVIOUR OF THE WORLD. 

The description of our Lord in these several 
addresses to the churches appears to have a 
special reference to the object of the address. 
The intention of that now under consideration, is 
evidently to cheer and strengthen the church of 
Smyrna ; on which it is observable that no fault 
IS charged. And surely there are no topics 
more pregnant with consolation to the true ser- 
vants of the Redeemer, than the two especially 
insisted upon in the text — viz. the divinity^ and 
the death and resurrection of the Son of God. Ob- 
serve the bearing of these truths on the circum- 
stances and hopes of the people of God. 



1 



UN CONSTANCV IN KELIGIOX. J ti J 

'•/," says our Lord in the text, <-*am the First 
and the Last^ I am from eternity to eternity. 
1 am the Beginning of all things, and their eternal 
End. I have all the attributes of the Godhead, 
and am " one with the Father." But, if so, fear 
nothing, ye troubled and suffering servants of the 
Gospel, for your Redeemer is your God ; and if 
God " be for you, who can be against you ?" 

Again, says our Lord, ''• I am he which was dead 
and am alive^ In other words, '' Why should 
you fear ? He who was God in his own nature, 
took the nature of man upon him. He lived, he 
suffered, he " died for your sins, and has risen 
again for your justification." What higher tes- 
timony can you possess of the sincerity and 
depth of his sympathy and affection? Even if 
every other evidence of the love of God were 
erased from the face of nature or the history of 
providence, yet, if we might contemplate the 
Cross — if we might listen to the prayers, and 
watch the dying agonies of the Saviour of the 
world — faith and hope could, as it seems to me, 
need nothing further for their encouragement. 
Your Redeemer is evidently as willing to suffer, 
as mighty to save. Go, then, thou disquieted 
servant of God, to the mount of Calvary ; and 
dry your tears, and " rejoice with joy unspeaka- 
ble and full of glory." 

II. But consider, secondly, the circumstances 
OF THE CHURCH OF SMYRNA, as dcscribcd in these 
verses. " I know thy works, and tribulation, and 
poverty (but thou art rich) ; and I know the 
blasphemy of them who say they are Jews, and 
are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." 

It is, as has been already stated, the peculiar 
distinction of the church we are now consider- 
ing, that no fault is laid to their charge. On the 
X 



162 SERMON X. 

contrary, they are, in the first place, commended 
for their " works^ The " works''^ of his creatures 
are familiar to the Saviour of the world. He 
knows their source, their principle, their end ; 
knows whether they are improperly offered as 
the price of pardon, or scripturally offered as 
the fruit of love ; knows whether they are design- 
ed as the monument of our own glory, or as a 
pillar of praise to God. The mite of the widow, 
and the cup of cold water, are registered in the 
book of his tender remembrance. " faith with- 
out works" he rejects as " dead," and worthless; 
but the faith productive of them he accepts and 
blesses. 

But, it is said also, " I know thy tribulation^ and 
thy poverty^— It was one feature in the history of 
the Church of Smyrna, that it was " counted 
w^orthy to suffer" for God. In another part of 
this discourse, I may have occasion to present a 
specimen of those sufferings, in the case of one 
distinguished member of that church. But, for 
the present, it is enough to observe, that there is 
scarcely any species of sufferings to which the 
servants of Christ in Smyrna, in common with 
several other parts of Asia, do not appear to 
have been exposed during the persecutions of 
the early ages of Christianity. Amongst the 
other sources of suffering, was that of poverty, — 
a trial which none can be expected thoroughly 
to appreciate but those who have felt ; but the 
acuteness of which the rich amongst ourselves 
acknowledge, by the numberless institutions for 
its alleviation. Let this part of our text serve 
for the consolation of any of the servants of God 
in this congregation who may be suffering from 
the same cause. Poverty, you will observe, in 



Ox\ cojsstancy in religion. 163 

ikis case, was the lot and inheritance of a true 
and approved church : and, in your own case, it 
is designed as a testimony, not of the wrath, but 
of the tenderness and love of your Heavenly 
Father. 

It is added, " / know the blasphemy of those who 
say they are Jeios^ and are not, but are the synagogue 
ofSatan.'^ This, therefore, was another of the 
trials of Smyrna, that the church was infested by 
a body of individuals, who, pretending to be the 
people of God, were in fact the church or syna- 
gogue of the devil. The prevalence of hypocri- 
sy, my brethren ; of a high but false pretension 
to piety; of that spurious religion which shelters 
an impure life under a holy garb and name ; 
which stains the fair title of the Gospel with the 
foul blots of passion, or dishonesty, or pride : — 
such a quality, in the members of any church, is 
one of the heaviest curses which can be inflicted 
upon it. " Protect us from such /nc/2c/!s," may 
the church of Christ well say, "and we may bet- 
ter hope to protect ourselves from our enemies.'*'^ 
How truly awful is the language of the text with 
regard to such persons! '•'they are the synagogue 
of Satan;'*'' or, in simple words, the church of the 
devil. Thousands, it is to be feared, who bear 
the name of Christ, and who assert their rights 
to all the comforts and privileges of his Gospel, 
are, in fact, nothing better than servants of Sa- 
tan ; and must go down, if unchanged, to all the 
horrors and anguish of that miserable place in 
which he reigns and suffers. 

It is still further added, with regard to the 
church of Smyrna, " but thou art rich.'''' It is pos- 
sible, my brethren, to be poor in the midst of 
worldly riches, and rich in the midst of worldh 



« 



164 SERMON X. 

poverty ;— poor in temporal possessions, and rich 
in spiritual; rich in good works, in faith, and 
love, and hope, and charity ; rich in the promi- 
ses of God, in the graces of the Spirit, in the re- 
versionary wealth of the kingdom of heaven. 
In this view of the subject, how grossly does the 
term " rich" appear to be misapplied in the vo- 
cabulary of the world ! You are the poor man, 
who, " though clothed in purple and fine linen," 
are hovering on the brink of perdition ; who are 
" sowing to the wind," or " feeding on ashes ;" 
who have never dug in the mine of the Divine 
promises, and filled your coffers with the immea- 
surable riches of the grace of God ; who, amidst 
all the prodigality of heavenly mercies, are suf- 
fering a dearth and famine of the word of God, 
of the grace of Christ, and of the communication 
of his Spirit. This, this my brethren, is the on- 
ly genuine poverty ; this poverty of the soul, 
this destitution of all the best of God. On the 
contrary — to be tried occasionally, and to be al- 
ways comforted; to be ill clothed in body, but 
to have on the vesture of a Saviour's righteous- 
ness ; to be badly fed, but to be always content- 
ed ; to have a hovel upon earth, but a throne in 
heaven ; to be forgotten of men, but to be known 
and honoured of God, and lifted above the at- 
mosphere of this world's trials and wants, by the 
presence of a Saviour and the power of the Spi- 
rit of God ; — this, this is such poverty as no wise 
man would change for the riches which " make 
to themselves wings and flee away ;" or which, 
if they remain to the impenitent, remain only to 
" choke the seed" of the word, or " witness by 
their rust" at the bar of God against the guilty 
possessor. How solemn is the declaration of 



ON CONSTANCY IN RELIGION. 165 

our Lord as to this point, " It is easier for a ca- 
mel to go through the eye of a needle, than for 
a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God !" 
III. But consider, thirdly, the further trials 

PREDICTED TO THE CHURCH OF SMYRNA. " Bchold^'^' 

it is said, " ihe devil shall cast some of you into pri- 
son^ that ye may be tried ; and ye shall have tribulation 
for ten days!''' 

No point, my brethren, can be more strongly 
established in Scripture, than that an exemption 
from outward trials is not promised to the ser- 
vants of God whilst upon earth. It is the gener- 
al language of the book of God, " In the world 
ye shall have tribulation." " Ye shall have it," 
that is, if ye need it ; and, as almost all appear to 
need the purifying fires of this furnace, let few 
expect to escape them. But consider the nature^ 
the author^ and the end of the trials thus predict- 
ed to the Church of Smyrna in the text. 

" Ye shall have tribulation^^'' it is said, ^'' for ten 
days,'''' These words may be supposed to refer 
either to the ten persecutions of the church un- 
der the Roman emperors; or, as days are often 
put for years in the language of prophecy, to the 
last and most terrible of these persecutions, un- 
der Dioclesian, which lasted for ten years. 

Of this trial the devil is the author, " The de- 
?;27," it is said, " shall cast some of you into pri- 
son." It might often serve, my brethren, to stay 
the hand of persecution in religion, to consider 
who, in fact, sharpens the axe of the execution- 
er, lights the fires of cruelty, or kindles the still 
fiercer flames of bigotry and theological hatred 
in the soul. It is his work who is the " father of 
lies," and therefore the natural enemy of truth, 
and the author of every plot for its destruction. 



f 



1 66 SERMON X. 

Consider, therefore, if you discover even a spark 
of intolerance and harshness in your own heart, 
j^in what flame that spark is kindled, and make 
■haste to extinguish it in the waters of love. 
W It is added, with regard to these trials and af- 
Tflictions of the Church of Smyrna, " He shall 
' cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried."' 
— Here, then, my brethren, if you are the chil- 
dren of God, is the real end and object of your 
trials. They are permitted, not in anger, but in 
love ; not to destroy, but to sanctify, to prove 
your sincerity, to try your patience, to ascertain 
I your deficiencies, quicken your zeal, and stimu- 
I late you to confidence, and trust, and prayer, 
/ and love to Him who is " able to save to the ut- 
/ termost all who come unto him." It is thus, my 
/ brethren, that our Heavenly Father frustrates 
the devices of the devil. The very fires lighted 
by the enemy of souls, serve only to cherish the 
graces of the true Christian ; to melt down the 
irregularities of temper; to burn in, and fix, if I 
may use the image, all those qualities which were 
perhaps hitherto sketched but in light and fad- 
ing colours on the character. 

In this view of the trials of the true Christian, 
well may it be added in the text, "/car none of 
those things which thou shalt suffer^ Shall we 
grieve for trials which are not merely useful, but 
necessary ? Will you " fear," when the Lord 
himself presides over the instrument of suffering, 
and weakens its force, or increases your strength 
to endure it, or renders it subservient to your 
eternal good ; when not merely " one like unto 
the Son of Man," but the Son of Man himself, 
walks amidst the flames of the furnace, to shel- 



UN CONSTANCV IS RELIGIO^. 167 

ter his servants and to consume their adversa- 
ries ? ^^ 
IV^. But consider, fourthly, the duty enjoined*^ 

UPON THE CHURCH OF SmYRNA IN THE TEXT. " Be 

thou faithful unto deaths 

The grand difficulty in religion, after all, my 
Christian brethren, is perseverance^ — fidelity to the 
cause we have chosen, constancy and courage in 
our Master's service. It is comparatively easy, 
under the grace of God, to make resolutions ; 
the difficulty is to keep them. It is compara- 
tively easy to set out well. But when resistance 
increases ; when the enemies of the Cross mul- 
tiply, and its friends fall away; when interest 
and passion take the side of indifference and 
neutrahty ; when novelty has ceased, and many 
condemn, and few applaud ; then it is that the 
treacherous heart needs no power short of Om- 
nipotence to sustain it. Hence the injunction 
of the text, '* Be faithful^ Covenanted to God 
as you are in baptism, by your daily vows, by 
your Christian profession, " be faithfuV Cold- 
ness, in your case, is treason; disobedience, 
treason ; worldliness, treason. — And, moreover, 
*' be faithful unto deathP Ye have borne some- 
thing; " but ye have not yet resisted unto 
blood.'' The storm may thicken, fresh terrors 
may darken around you : " be faithful." Live 
for your Lord while you are permitted to live ; 
and, if needs be, stand prepared to die for him, 
as for the Saviour who lived and died for you. 

Would you, my Christian brethren, have a spe- 
cimen of the holy courage and constancy requir- 
ed in the text ? You may find it in the truly 
splendid history of the sufferings and death of 
that ancient Bishop of this very church, to whom 



JbH SERxMON A. 

I have already referred. How impressive is the 
'^ following statement, taken from an authentic 
^history! "When Polycarp," it is said, "was 
f^'brought to the tribunal, the proconsul asked him 
jl^ if he was Polycarp ; to which he assented. The 
proconsul then began to exhort him, saying, 
' Have pity on thine own great age ; swear by 
the Fortune of Caesar ; repent ; say. Take away 
the Atheists,' (meaning the Christians,) Poly- 
carp, casting his eye solemnly over the multitude, 
waving his hand to them, and looking up to hea- 
ven, said, ' Take away these Atheists,' (meaning 
the idolaters around him.) The proconsul, still 
urging him, and saying, ' Swear, and I will re- 
lease thee — -reproach Christ.' Polycarp said, 
• Eighty and six years have I served him, and he 
hath never wronged me, and how can I blas- 
pheme my King, who hath saved me ?^ ' I have 
wild beasts,' said the proconsul, ' and will ex- 
pose you to them, unless you repent.' ' Call them,'' 
said the martyr. ' I will tame your spirit by fire^^ 
said the Roman. ' You threaten mc," said Poly- 
carp, ' with the fire which burns only for a mo- 
ment; but are yourself ignorant of the fire oi 
eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly.' " 
" Soon after," it is added, " being bound on the 
burning stake, he exclaimed, ' O Father of thy 
beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ ! O God 
of all principalities and of all creation! I bless 
Thee that Thou hast counted me worthy of this 
day, and this hour, to receive my portion in the 
number of the martyrs, in the cup of Christ. I 
praise Thee for all these things. I bless Thee, 
I glorify Thee, by the Eternal High Priest, Jesus 
Christ, Thy well-beloved Son : through whom. 



ON COiNSTAiVCY IN RELIGION. 169 

and with whom, in the Holy Spirit, be glory to 
Thee, both now and for ever. Amen." 

Such, my brethren, was the language and the 
spirit by which this dying Bishop illustrated this 
expression of our text, " Be thou faithful unto 
death.'*'' And need 1 say, that, if this is real reli- 
gion, a spirit of concession, and compromising, 
and fearfulness, and shamefacedness in our 
Master's cause, can never deserve the name. If 
it is religion to die triumphantly, it must be reli- 
gion to live boldly; to plant your back against 
the rock of the Gospel, and, with the sword of i 
the Spirit in your hand, calmly and persevering- i 
\y to fight the battles of the Lord. 

V. But, lastly, consider the promises witTT 

WHICH THIS ADDRESS CLOSES. " Bc thoU faithful 

unto death (it says,) and / will give thee a crown 
oflife^'' And again, " He that overcometh shall not 
be hurt of the second death,'''' 

Observe, my Christian brethren, the force of 
these several expressions. Here " is a crown*^ 
for those who had been suffering the infliction of 
" poverty." Here is a " crown of life'''' for those 
who had been " faithful unto death,'''' Here is a 
promise to those who had found in man their 
enemy, that they shall find in God their friend : 
" / will give thee a crown." Here is a pledge, 
to those who had a thousand times discovered 
and acknowledged their own unworthiness and 
insufficiency, that they should have that "crown" 
as a gift, which they could not win as a prize : 
" I w'\\\ give thee a crown of life." Here is an 
assurance, to those who were themselves stand- 
ing on the edge of the grave, or mourning over 
those whom persecution had already hurried in- 
to it, that the " second," the last, the eternal 
Y 



1 ilf SKRMON X. 

" death,'' should not " hurt them;'' that the 
*• last enemy" should be " put under their feet," 
and they triumph with their Lord for ever and 
ever. 

Such, my brethren, are the glorious promises 
by which the Saviour of the world cheers on the 
soldiers of the cross. And what hearts must we 
have, not to feel and value them more ! Sup- 
pose a change of the mode in which the promise 
of the text is made to another less familiar to 
our minds, and we can scarcely imagine any indi- 
vidual rejecting or undervaluing it. Suppose, 
for instance, our Lord, instead of sending this 
offer to the churches, as in the text, by St. John, 
to appear Himself. Suppose Him now to open 
his heavens, to descend, and, in mid air, and 
clothed in the majesty of heaven, and surround- 
ed by his angels, to suspend before our eyes the 
crown of life, rich with all the splendours of the 
treasury of God. Suppose him in these circum- 
stances to issue the declaration, " Be thou faith- 
ful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of 
life ;" what should you say of his folly, or impie- 
ty, who rejected the offer .f^ But, my brethren, 
the crown is not less real, the promise less cer- 
tain, the Saviour less present, than if he had thus 
manifested himself to our bodily eyes. Is it a 
reason for rejecting such an offer, that it is writ- 
ten, instead of spoken; that it is heard by all, 
instead of a few; that it is lasting, instead of 
evanescent; that thousands of the church have 
already fed upon it, lived upon it, died upon it; 
have already fought the battle, and won the 
crown, and have entered into the joy of their 
Master.'* — O urge upon your reluctant souls this 
animating declaration. " Be thou faithful unto 



ON CO.NslAiNCV 1> KLLICilON. 171 

death, and I will give thee a crown of lile.*' Op- 
pose it to the shows of life, to the flattery of the 
world, to the solicitations of appetite, to the fol- 
lies and vices which absorb the heart and de- 
stroy the souls of multitudes. Answer, to those 
who reproach or condemn your ardent and 
steady devotion of yourself to God and holiness 
and every good work, ' I cannot consent to act 
and live for these gilded nothings — I live for a 
crown — the crown of life, which " faded not 
away," and which " God hath prepared for 
them that love him." ' 

It is added, at the end of this address, as in 
all the other addresses to these Eastern churches, 
" He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit 
saith unto the churches.^^ In other words, these les- 
sons and promises are designed, not merely for 
the Church of Smyrna, but for all the churches of 
the Redeemer. Use the text, therefore, my bre- 
thren, according to the particular circumstances 
of your own church, or country/, or heart. Listen 
to it, ye suffering servants of the Redeemer, and 
remember that there are riches independent of 
the world, and beyond its reach, and above its 
conception, — Listen to it, ye haters and persecutors 
of real religion ; and see of what church it es- 
teems you the members, and of what master the 
slaves. — Listen to it, ye timorous, or wavering, 
or compromising followers of Christ ; and remem- 
ber that courage, and constancy, and self-devo- 
tion, and living faith, and dying fidelity, are the 
qualities to which the promises of God are at- 
tached; are the proper and essential fruits of 
that faith in the Saviour, which makes us the heirs 
of his merits, and the partners of his glory. 
*' Hear," one and all, " what the Spirit saith to 



J 72 SERMON X. 

the churches ;•' and let us together begin to cul- 
tivate these quahties of the redeemed of the 
Lord, Let us cultivate them in our families and 
in our churches; in the devotions of the closet 
and at the altar of our God. Come, and let us 
to-day* bow our knees before " the God and 
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," that we " may 
be strengthened by his Spirit in the inner man ;" 
that " his love may be shed abroad in our hearts." 
Ask of Him, that we may live in faith, die in 
hope, and enter into the glory of God ; that He 
would cast all our transgressions into the depths 
of the sea : that He would become our God ; 
and that we may be " the sons and daughters" of 
the Lord Almighty. 

* Sacrament Sunday. 






SERMON XI, 

EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH AT PERGAMOS.~ON 
ANTINOMIANISM. 

REV. ii. 12—17. 

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write ; 
These things saith he which hath the sharp sword 
with two edges ; I know thy works ^ and where thou 
dwellest^ even where Satan's seat is ; and thou hold- 
est fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even 
in those days wherein Jlntipas was my faithful 
martyr who was slain among you, where Satan dwell- 
eth. But I have a few things against thee, because 
thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Ba- 
laam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block 
before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed 
unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast 
thou also them that hold the doctrine of the JVicolai- 
tanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or eke I will 
come unto thee quickly, and will fight against thee 
with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, 
let him hear ivJiat the Spirit saith unto the churches ; 
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hid- 
den manna, and will give him a white stone, and in 
the stone a new name written, ivhich no man know- 
eth saving he that receiveth it. 

The city of Pergan^os, to which the third ol the 
epistles of our Lord to the churches of Asia is ad- 
dressed, was a citij:of considerable importance, 
at the distance < " 



i citij:0i considerable importance 
e c^teout sixt^ miles from Smyrna 



«« 
% 



J 74 SERMON Xi. 

It was the capital of an extensive kingdom, 
which, after many arduous contests, and long 
preservation of its independence, was at length 
bequeathed, by one of its sovereigns, to the Ro- 
mans, and annexed, as a province, to their em- 
pire. After this period, many of its inhabitants 
were converted to Christianity, and it became 
the scene of the most terrible persecutions, of 
which many records are preserved in the early 
histories of the church of Christ. 

This city is called, in the text, the " seat of 
Satan;" either on account of the peculiar vio- 
lence of the persecutions there inflicted on the 
church of Christ; or from its being the chief 
seat of the worship of the heathen god Escula- 
pius, and constantly crowded with fanatical and 
bloody idolaters. 

It is my wish, in examining this address, to 
adopt the same divisions as in our examination 
of those which precede it ; and to consider, 
I. The commendation here bestowed on the 

CHURCH OF PeRGAMOS. 

11. The reproof inflicted upon it. 

III. The threat by which this reproof is 

followed. 

IV. The promise with which the address 

CLOSES. 

And may the Saviour, from whom these words 
originally proceeded, convey them now to the 
consciences and hearts of all who are assembled 
in his presence ! 

Before, however, entering upon the examina- 
tion of these particular points, I would beg to 
offer a few observations on the description of our 
Lord^ with which this particular address is in- 
troduced. It has be^ obsewd. in a preceding 



Ax\TliNOMIAN16M. i 77) 

sermon on a similar subject, that each of the 
descriptions of the Son of God^ which precede 
these addresses, has a peculiar suitableness to 
the circumstances of the church which is ad- 
dressed. In that to the church of Ephesus, for 
example, of which it was the especial object to 
rekindle the half-extinguished faith and love of 
its members, the Son of God is described as He 
" who walketh" among '^ the golden candle- 
sticks" — or amongst those branches of light 
which are symbols of the churches of Christ — 
and who is, therefore, ready to revive the flame 
of religion which burned so dimly among the 
people of that voluptuous city. In the epistle to 
Smyrna, of which the chief object is the conso- 
lation of that distinguished and suffering church, 
the Saviour is described as " the First and the 
Last;" as " He who was dead, and is alive;" 
and, therefore, as prepared, by his sufferings 
and his triumph, to convey to his faithful follow- 
ers every blessing of which they stood in need. 
In the present address, to the church of Perga- 
mos, of which it is the main intention to reprove 
and alarm the sensual and antinomial professors 
of the Gospel, the Saviour describes himself as 
bearing " a sharp sword with two edges," and, 
therefore, as armed either for the defence of his 
people, or for the punishment of his enemies. 
it is, my brethren, one of the delusions of the 
impenitent and worldly, to contemplate the Son 
of God exclusively in the character of a Deliver- 
er, when he is, in fact, no less " mighty" to punish 
than " to save." " The Lord, the Lord gracious 
and merciful, long-suffering, and of tender pity ;" 
is also the Lord "who will by no means clear 
the guilty." He carries in his hand the " sword," 



JTb SERMON XI. 

which may be equally employed as the instrument 
of deliverance or of ruin ; which can hew a path 
for the righteous to glory, or devote the harden- 
ed or careless offender to endless destruction. 
May this awful consideration have its due weight 
with every individual in this assembly! And 
may every unawakened sinner hasten to propi- 
tiate his offended Lord whilst he is yet seated 
on the throne of mercy, and before he goes forth 
*• with the armies of heaven" for the slaughter of 
his enemies ! 

After these preliminary observations, I pro- 
ceed, as was proposed, to consider, 

I. In the first place, The commendation be- 
stowed IN THIS address ON THE CHURCH OF PeR- 

GAMOS. — It is said in the text, " I know thy works^ 
and where thou dwellest^ even where Satmi's seat is : 
and thou holdest fast my name^ and hast not denied my 
faith^ even in those days wherein Antipas was my faith- 
ful martyr^ who was slain among you^ where Satan 
dwelleth.'''^ 

The commendation here bestowed on a part 
of the church of Pergamos, amounts, in sub- 
stance, to this — first, that they held fast the " name" 
and the ^'- faith'''' of Christ — and, secondly, that they 
had so done even in the face of persecution^ and in the 
midst of the cruel slaughter of the servants of God. 

in the first place, they had " held fast the name'' 
and " not denied the faifh^^^ of Christ — Perhaps 
these expressions, with regard to their adhe- 
rence to the " name''' and ''faith'''' of Christ, may 
be designed to convey nearly the same meaning. 
Or, possibly, the two qualities, thus commended 
in them, may be considered as standing to each 
other in the relation of cause and effect. Their 
adherence to the " faith" of Christ was. under 



ANT IN OM IAN ISM. 177 

the influence of the Holy Spirit, the source of 
their adherence to his ^' name," — to the open, 
honest, manlj profession of the Gospel of a cru- 
cified Saviour. Every other quaHtj in the Chris- 
tian must, to a considerable degree, take its co- 
lour and dimensions from his belief: " By faith" 
he " walks." The '' life that he lives in the 
flesh, he lives by the faith of the Son of God." 
By " faith" he " overcomes the world." When 
the Apostle, in the eleventh chapter of the He- 
brews, collecting the servants of God, of every 
age and country, causes them to pass by us in 
triumphant procession, and records their achieve- 
ments in the cause of God and human nature, he 
does not hesitate to impute one and all of these 
actions to " faith." " By faith" Abel and Noah, 
Abraham and Moses, and all " those of whom 
the world was not worthy," " obtained a good 
report." A deficiency in practice or temper, 
therefore, at once indicates a defect in faith ; 
and he who would lay his axe to the root of the 
evil, must assail, not merely the outward defect, 
but the inward corruption in which it originates. 
— But, to return to the church of Pergamos. It 
was the distinction of certain members of that 
church, referred to in the text, that, being thus 
" rooted and grounded in faith," they were not 
ashamed '' of the Gospel of Christ." But is it 
possible that any should be ashamed of the pro- 
fession of religion ; of intimate alliance with God ; 
of a deep and living interest in Him before whom 
the " angels veil their faces," at whose '' name 
every knee in heaven and earth shall bow," at 
whose voice the dead awaken, by whom their 
eternal destiny is fixed, and they are consigned 
either to eternal happiness or eternal miserv ? 
Z 



178 SERMOiN XI. 

Is your own a cowardly and shame-faced proles- 
sion of the Gospel ? Do you shrink from the 
avowal of religion where it is unpopular or de- 
spised? Remember the words of Him who 
" beareth the sword with two edges," " Whoso- 
ever shall deny me before men, him will I also 
deny before my Father which is in heaven.'^ 
Surely, if, as it is said in Scripture, this Saviour 
" is not ashamed to call us brethren ;" if '' God is 
not ashamed to be called our God," we may well 
add, with the Apostle, " God forbid that I should 
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
Another excellence in the character of certain 
members of the church of Pergamos, appears to 
have been that they thus adhered to the " «ame" 
and ^'faifh'^^ of Christ, even in seasons of the most 
terrible persecution. It was around the fires of mar- 
tyrdom they confessed the religion of the Cross, 
and professed their willingness to live and to die 
for Him who " loved them, and gave himself for 
them." It was when sprinkled with the blood 
of "Antipas," a brother Christian, they boldly re- 
sisted the demands of ursurpation and idolatry. 
It was in a city the very " seat of Satan," the ve- 
ry capital of his empire, and where he reigned 
with almost unresisted sway, that these holy 
men where heard proclaiming " the only name 
given under heaven whereby we can be sa- 
ved." — Perhaps, my brethren, in our singular- 
ly sheltered and privileged circumstances, it is 
almost impossible for us to form a just conception 
of the measure of faith essential to resistance un- 
der trials such as theirs. But let me ask, whether 
your faith is proof even against the petty trials to 
which it is exposed ? Are you ' proof against 
ridicule; against imputations of unkindness to 



VNTINOMIAMSM. l7^ 

those you truly love , or indifference to institu- 
tions which you fondly value ; or attachment to 
tenets and practices which you cordially ab- 
hor ? Can you venture to be singular, if reli- 
gion demands it ; to stand alone at the post of 
duty, if others desert you ; to want, or to suffer, 
ifyou must sacrifice either your duty or your in- 
terest ? The real spirit of martyrdom may lodge 
in the bosom of multitudes who are never called 
to it ; and we are to be judged, not by the num- 
ber or severity of our trials, but by our cheerful 
readiness to endure them. 

II. But, secondly, let us consider the reproof 

PASSED IN THE TEXT ON THE CHURCH OP PeRGA- 

Mos. — It is there said, "I have a few things 
against thee ; because thou hast there them that 
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak 
to cast a stumbling-block before the children of 
Israel, to eat things offered to idols, and to com- 
mit fornication." And it is added, " thou hast 
there them that hold the doctrine of the Nico- 
laitanes, which thing I hate." 

On account of the brevity of the Scripture nar- 
rations, it is difficult to collect from the history 
of the prophet Balaam, in the Book of Numbers, 
the facts to which this verse appears to refer. It 
appears, however, from a declaration of Moses, 
in the thirty-first chapter of that book,* and 
more especially from the works of Josephus and 
other Jewish writers, that Balaam, in order to 
bring down upon the Israelites that curse which 
Balak, and perhaps himself, so earnestly desired, 
recommended to the monarch of Moab the in- 
troduction into the Jewish camp of a number of 
dissolute persons, who might seduce the people 

• Numbers xxxi. 1R. 




180 JiERIVlON Xi. 

from their allegiance to God. Nor was the strata- 
gem without success. It appears, from the 25th 
chapter of the same book, that, after these per- 
sons had been so introduced " by the counsel of 
Balaam," into the camp, many of the Israelites 
were actually seduced into habits of gross sen- 
suality and pollution. 

In like manner, although it is perhaps not pos- 
sible for us to decide on the exact crime of the 
Nicolaitanes, it would appear to be an offence 
of a kindred nature with that just specified — an 
addiction to sensual and corrupt indulgences. 

The charge, therefore, against the Church of 
Pergamos, amounts in effect to a charge of An- 
tinomianhm ; — a charge of defiling a pure faith 
with a vicious life ; or combining the profession 
of the Gospel with a debauched practice; of 
" naming the name of Christ" without " depart- 
ing from iniquity." And it is to this offence 1 
would now briefly call your attention. 

Nothing, it must be admitted, prior to expe- 
rience, would be more incredible, than that any 
professed worshipper of the holy Jesus should 
conceive it possible to unite the faith of the Gos- 
pel with a corrupt practice, a selfish heart, or 
an unbridled temper and tongue. But perhaps 
even this is not more incredible, than that per- 
sons should be found, who, after contemplating 
the outward face of the church of Christ, should 
still be disposed to contend that it is impossible 
to assent to the doctrines of the Gospel, and yet 
violate the great mass of its precepts. 

^ Preach,' it is sometimes said to the ministers 
of the Gospel, ' preach of faith only ; for faith in- 
eludes loorks ; and, therefore, if the faith be se- 
cured, the practice will follow.' — To such ad- 



AM {XO.MlA.VIbM. l^\ 

visers 1 would reply, not merely by appealing to 
the practical character both of the Scriptures 
and the admirable formularies of our cliurch. but 
by appealing to matter of fact. Not only is it the 
fact, that where faith alone is preached^ a holy 
practice does not necessarily follow ; but that 
where assent is yielded to the truths so preached, 
*' the truth is" often '^ held in unrighteousness," 
and the life remains even as corrupt as before. 
It is true, that genuine faith in the truths of reli- 
gion includes habits of life and temper comforma- 
able to this faith ; but it by no means follows, 
that a mere declaration of these truths, or even 
an assent to them, will be followed by such dis- 
positions and practice. 

'Preach of faith only,' it is sometimes said, 
* i'or faith alone justifies the sinner in the sight of an 
offended God,'' — To such persons 1 would answer, 
No statement can be more unquestionable, than 
that faith is the only instrument of justification 
before God. " Faith," says Hooker, " is the 
hand by which we put on Christ ;" by which we 
lay hold of and appropriate the merits of the Re- 
deemer of a lost world." " Bem^ justified by faith^"^ 
says St. Paul, " we have peace with God, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord." It is grateful, cordial, 
affectionate reliance upon the blood of that 
*•' Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of 
the world," that will be accepted by God. Our 
own works, necessary as they are^ carry with them, 
from first to last, so deep and foul a stain of im- 
perfection and corruption, that, far from being a 
fit offering to God as the price of redemption, the 
very best of them need to be washed by the tears 
of repentence and blood of atonement. Never- 
theless, if an attempt be made to infer, that, be- 



182 ' SERMON XI. 

cause faith justifies us, therefore it is necessary /o 
preach of faith only, we must contend, that, how- 
ever just the premises, the conclusion is wholly 
unwarranted. For, observe ivhat the faith is which 
justifies. Is it not a living, practical, and pro- 
ductive faith ? Is it not a faith which " worketh 
by love," w hich " overcometh the world," and 
which moulds the possessor into the character 
of Christ } I would ask, then, how are we even 
io define justifying faith without enlarging upon 
practice.'^ And what security can we have 
that the " faith" adopted by our hearers shall 
not be the faith of devils, instead of the faith of 
the Gospel, except we give the portraiture of 
faith as sketched by the hand of God himself, 
and surround it by all the qualities and habits 
which glorify God, which adorn the Gospel, and 
which guard the welfare and constitute the hap- 
piness of society. 

If it be, in addition, alleged that ' Antinomian- 
ism is not the crime of our age^ I answer. It is the 
crime of every age and of every place. It is more 
or less, I venture to say, your crime, and mine, 
and that of every human being. The aversion 
of the fallen heart is no less to purity in practice, 
than to truth in doctrine. And, even long after 
the Spirit of God has shed his sanctifying in- 
fluences upon the soul, this aversion lives, and 
lifts itself in daily insurrection against the Spirit 
of purity within us : " the flesh lusteth against the 
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh ; and these 
two are contrary the one to the other." And 
whilst this struggle remains, it can never be safe 
to trust any thing to the fallen heart, or to fancy 
that a correct creed will necessarily make a 
fi^ood man. Therefore I w^ould now. as at all 



AiNTINOMlAiMSM. 183 

times, avail mjself of the opportunity supplied 
bj the language of our text, to protest against 
sin in every form; to rebuke the sinner; to call 
upon every individual to " add to his faith 
virtue ;" to add to the faith which is said to 
^'justify" even the "ungodly," the works which 
are its natural and necessary fruit. — We see in 
the text what were the "/cz^ things^'' which God 
" had against the church of Pergamos,^"^ Are there 
not a " few," or perhaps many^ " things" which 
God has " against" ourselves ? Are our tempers ; 
our habits, in public and private — as subjects, or 
citizens ; as fathers, or masters, or servants, or 
children — such as " adorn the doctrine of God 
your Saviour?" Are we "crucifying the flesh, 
with its affections and lusts ?" Are we endea- 
vouring, as it were, to nail every corrupt dispo- 
sition and practice to the Cross of our Redeemer? 
Is it visible to all, that the Spirit of God is an in- 
mate in our souls ? Is the lustre of the Divine 
character reflected upon our daily walk and con- 
versation ? Are we individuals evidently separ- 
ated from the mass of the careless and worldly; 
pure in practice, as well as sound in faith ; meet 
for heaven, as well as privileged, by the compas- 
sion of our God and the atoning blood of our Re- 
deemer, to enter it ? 

But, that we may be excited to the more 
earnest pursuit of this purity of character, con- 
sider, 

III. The threat issued in the text against 
THE CHURCH OF PERGAMOs. " Repent^ or else I will 
come unto thee quickly^ and will fight against them with 
the sword of my mouth^ How awful is this lan- 
guage ! The Saviour himself, it appears, will 
become the avenger of his violated law. Every 



184 SEKMON XIw 

attribute which has hitherto been exercised for 
the deliverance of his creatures, will clothe itself 
in terrors for the ruin of the impenitent. Con- 
sider the wretchedness of the unconverted and 
worldly at that awful houi-, " when the Lord Je- 
sus shall be revealed from heaven, with his 
mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance 
on them that know not God, and that obey not 
the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall 
be punished with everlasting destruction from 
the presence of the Lord." Already, my bre- 
thren, has the city whose history and state we 
have been now contemplating, been made to 
feel the terrors of Divine indignation. At the 
present moment, instead of possessing a flourish- 
ing church, it has but a few individuals even 
professing the religion of Christ; and these, de- 
stitute of his word, and ungoverned by its com- 
mands, and uncheered by any of its delightful 
promises. And let it be remembered, that these 
outivard calamities are but the prelude to that 
final punishment of which the text speaks. 
Think of the fulfilment of these threats in the 
world of spirits, and through all the ages of 
eternity. Think of this " sword of two edges," 
when, according to the expression of the Pro- 
phet, " bathed in heaven," it shall sweep away 
the ranks of the finally unconverted, and consign 
them to the "second death." Think of arming 
even the Saviour of the world against you. 
Think of curses flowing from the only lips which 
could intercede for you ; and judgments inflict- 
ed by the very hand which is stretched out to 
stay the instrument of vengeance, and quench 
the fires of eternal punishment. 



ANTlN0MlAMb3I. 1 8:j 

IV. But, in the fourth and last place, let us 
turn to the far more delightful employment of 
considering the promises with which our text 
CLOSES. " He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
the Spirit saith unto the churches ; To him that over- 
Cometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna^ and 
will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new 
name written, which no man knoweth saving he that 
receivefh it^ Among the false professors in Per- 
gamos — those unhappy individuals, baptized in- 
deed into the faith of Jesus, but neither treading 
in his steps nor breathing his spirit — there were 
to be found some simple and faithful servants of 
God, steadily " fighting the good fight of faith," 
struggling with the flesh within and the world 
without, carrying the war even into the enemy's 
country, and winning every day fresh trophies 
under the banner of the Cross. To them were 
these promises made. But let all individuals 
engaged in the arduous conflict of religion, all 
the good soldiers of Christ, listen to the voice 
from heaven, which, in the language of the text, 
cheers them onward in the perilous march, as- 
sures them of a portion of the prize even here, 
and of the certainty of their future and eternal 
triumph. 

" To him that overcomeih,"^^ it is said, " / will 
give to eat of the hidden ma7ina. As the Jews were 
fed with " angels' food," with " manna from 
heaven," in the wilderness, so even here shall the 
bread of heaven be showered down on those who 
have rejected the impurities of sense for the 
pleasures of the sanctuary. And when this con- 
flict is over, and the Christian soldier has sealed 
his victory, by the death of faith, he shall sit 
with angels at " the marriage-supper of the 
2 A 



^ 



iSb SERMON XI. 

Lamb," and feed on the bread oi eternal lite, 
and drink of its waters, from the hand of his 
Redeemer. J ojs unknown to others, the " hidden 
manna," shall be given him. Every hope shall 
be accomplished ; every longing be satisfied ; 
and he shall be filled out of the " fulness of Him 
that filleth all in all." He shall "hunger no 
more, neither thirst any more ; but the Lamb, 
who is in the midst of the throne, shall lead him 
by living fountains of water ; and God shall wipe 
away all tears from his eyes." 

But, it is said also, " / will give him a white 
stone,^'^ This expression may possibly refer to 
the custom prevalent among the Romans, of pre- 
senting to the absolved or acquitted person a 
white stone, in testimony of his acquittal. Such 
a mark of acquittal, it is stated in the text, shall 
be presented to the man absolved through the 
blood of his Redeemer, and by the compassion 
of his God. Or this expression may, perhaps, 
with still more propriety, be referred to the 
custom, said to prevail among the Jews, of pre- 
senting, to such of the Priests and Levites as 
were considered in a state of purity befitting 
their high office, before they entered on the ser- 
vice of the sanctuary, a stone, on which were 
engraven both the name of the individual, and 
the incommunicable name of Jehovah. And, in 
like manner, it is here intimated, that there shall 
be presented to the victorious soldier of the 
Cross a stone, stamped with the " new name" 
of the Saviour of sinners — with the Name whose 
value and attractions are " knoivn to none but 
those who receive 2V" — who, in the trying hours of 
this earthly pilgrimage, have prayed in that 
name, have confided in it, honoured it. and ven- 



M 



A^ TINOMIANISM. 1 87 

lured upon it all concerns of the soul, and all the 
interests of eternity ; on you^ if constant and vic- 
torious, shall be conferred all the privileges 
pledged to the world bj the sacred " name" of 
the Messiah — the '' Jnointed One of God." O 
how glorious is the scene which the text, thus 
considered, unfolds to us! Behold the faithful 
follower of a crucified Saviour, struggling, per- 
haps, in the last agony between life and death ; 
pitied and wept over by the by-standers ; every 
object of his earthly affection fading on his eye, 
and the shadows of death darkening the whole 
field of vision. Wait for a moment, and then 
follow him but a step beyond that last conflict. 
The chain is broken ; the spirit is free ; he has 
met his Lord in the air; the white stone of ac- 
quittal is presented to him ; his doubts and fears 
are dispersed for ever ; he is borne on angels' 
wings to the region of unalterable happiness 
and love ! Oh, who would detain him here ? 
who would not seek the same Lord, and live in 
the same Spirit, that he might enter into the 
same w^orld of peace and glory ? — " Blessed 
Lord, may we be among the privileged number 
who thus overcome. Thou alone canst save us. 
Thou alone canst ' cast our transgressions into 
the depths of the sea,' and bestow upon us a ti- 
tle to eternal life. Give us constancy to thine 
own great ' Name ;' courage in the profession 
of thy 'faith;' a deep and universal hatred of 
all sin, and love of all virtue. Pardon us, sanc- 
tify us, fit us for heaven ; and then, in thine own 
good time, take us to it." — May such, my Chris- 
tian brethren, be the prayer of every individu- 
al in this assembly ; and may every part of our 
daily practice correspond with it ! May we be 



188 SERMON XI. 

" followers of them who through faith and pa- 
tience inherit the promises !" And, finally, may 
the " God of all grace, who hath called us unto 
his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after we have 
sufFered a while," if suffering be necessary to 
us, " make us perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle 
m. To Him be glory for ever and ever." 



SERMON XIi; 



THE CHURCH OF SAIIDIS.—NOMINAL RELIGION, 



REF. iii. 1—6. 



^4nd unto the angel of the church in Sardis ivnle ; 
These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of 
God^ and the seven stars ; I know thy ivorks^ that 
thou hast a name that thou livest^ and art dead. Be 
ivatchful^ and strengthen the things which remain^ 
that are ready to die : for I have not found thy 
works perfect before God, Remember therefore how 
thou hast received,, and heard^ and holdfast,, and re- 
pent. If therefore thou shalt not watch^ I will come 
on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour 
I will come xipon thee. Thou hast a few names,, 
even in Sardis^ which have not defied their gar- 
ments ; and they shall walk with me in white : for 
they are worthy. He that overcometL the same 



NOMINAL RELlGIOiN. 189 

shall be clothed in white raiment ; and 1 will not 
blot his name out of the book of life^ but I will con- 
fess his name before my Father^ and before his an- 
gels. He that hath an ear^ let him hear what the 
Spirit saith unto the churches. 

The city of Sardis, to which the words of the 
text were addressed, was the metropohs of Ly- 
dia, and the capital of the empire of Croesus, so 
notorious in history, at once for his wealth, and 
for his inordinate attachment to it, Sardis is 
supposed to have been the first city of Asia 
which was converted by the ministry of St. John, 
and the first which abandoned the profession of 
the Gospel. 

The address to this city proceeds, like those 
to the rest of the churches, from the lips of the 
Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ. In this also, as 
in the other addresses to the churches of Asia, the 
description given of our Lord is highly figurative. 
" Those things saith He that hath the seven spirits of 
God and the seven stars.^'* Commentators have 
differed upon the precise meaning of these ex- 
pressions. But the representation of Christ, as 
" having the seven spirits ofGod^'' is commonly con- 
sidered to mean, that He is the universal Lord 
and Director of all spiritual influence ; that, as he 
originally '^ sent the Comforter," so now, by a 
mysterious co-operation with the Holy Spirit, he 
wields and directs the secret power by which 
the heart is regenerated and sanctified. In like 
manner, the declaration that " He has the seven 
stars^^'' is conceived to mean, that he has the con- 
trol and guidance of the ministers of the church; 
that all derive their authority from him, and all 
must owe their success to his mediation and 



•I 



190 S£RMON XII. 

grace. These interpretations are not, however, 
it must be admitted, sufficiently certain to be in- 
sisted upon with any degree of confidence. And 
perhaps it may be enough for us, to collect from 
them the truth so frequently and explicitly sta- 
ted in Scripture, — that the Son of God, in com- 
mon with his Father, has power to wield the re- 
sources both of heaven and earth, the influences 
of the Spirit, and the gifts and faculties of his 
ministers, for the instruction and consolation of 
his church ; and, therefore, that it behoves every 
member of the body of Christ to listen, with pro- 
found reverence, to all that he may say to the 
churches. 

After these preliminary observations, let us go 
on to consider, 

I. The general rebuke here given to the 

CHURCH OF SaRDIS. 

II. The commendation bestowed on a part 

OF it. 

III. The counsel given to it. 

IV. The threat issued against it. 

V. The promise with which the text closes. 

And may He, who can give efficacy even to 
the most imperfect statements, bless this endea- 
vour to discover the meaning, and convey the les- 
sons of eternal truth ! 

I. And, first, we are to consider the rebuke 

GIVEN IN THE TEXT TO THE CHURCH OF SaRDIS .' 

" / know thou Jiast a name that thou livest^ and art 
dead:' 

It appears from these words, that this church 
was of high reputation amongst the followers of 
Christ — celebrated, it may be, for the correct- 
ness of its creed, and the multitude of its works ; 
for the munificence of its bounties, and its pre- 



.NOMINAL RELlGtO.V. I9l 

cise adherence to all the rites of religion. And 
yet this church, so distinguished among men, 
and to which perhaps thousands were looking 
up, with an anxious desire to catch something of 
its ispirit and qualification, was " dead" in the 
sight of God; " dead in trespasses and sins ;" 
" dead " in character ; " dead " as to all the real 
purposes of our being — the glory of God, the 
salvation of the soul, and the recovery of a guil- 
ty and suffering world. And it is added, even 
with regard to some of those in v/hom the spir- 
it of religion was not altogether extinct, that it 
was " ready to die^ The spark of piety burned, 
where it burned at all, so dimly that total dark- 
ness was soon to be expected 

How solemn is the lesson, my Christian bre- 
thren, which this statement conveys to us ! The 
possibility is here stated, that a church may be 
high in the estimation of man, at the very mo- 
ment when it is so odious to God as to be under 
the sentence of eternal death. And what is true 
of a whole community, is, of course, true of the 
various individuals of which it is composed. It 
is possible^ therefore, that you or I might stand 
high in the judgment of multitudes around us, 
even whilst lying under the curse of God. Your 
benevolence, or love of truth, or spirit of justice, 
or display of kind tempers and feelings, may 
have won for you the regard of the world ; not 
merely, nor chiefly, because these qualities are 
lovely in themselves, but because they are emi- 
nently calculated to promote the happiness of 
others, without disturbing their conscience. But 
the persons pronouncing thus favourably upon 
your moral character, may have wholly cast out 
of consideration those spiritual qualities of faith, 



192 S^ERMON XII. 

and love, and obedience, and lowliness, and seli- 
denial, and " crucifixion of the flesh," and devo- 
tion of the whole man to God, which are no less 
essential ingredients in the character of a real 
Christian, and no less necessary to win the ap- 
probation of God. But if this be true — if, on the 
one hand, the approbation of God be the grand 
requisite for present peace or future glory ; if^ 
on the other, the judgment of men be thus widely 
at variance with the judgment of God — how anx- 
iously should we turn from human opinion to the 
decision of the Almighty, and endeavour to as- 
certain the sentence which he passes upon us ! 
— " Thou hast a name that thou livest." But 
what will that name avail thee in His sight, who 
looks not to names, but to things ; not to the sha- 
dow, but to the substance ; not to the mask, but 
to the man; not to qualities which custom or 
convenience may approve, but to those which, 
when " weighed in the balance of the sanctuary," 
are found to be of standard weight, and of ster- 
ling value ? — " Thou hast a name that thou liv- 
est." Beware lest the judgment of men mislead 
thee as to the judgment of God. Bring thyself 
to a scriptural test. Judge as thou wilt be judg- 
ed at the great day of account. Anticipate in 
thine own mind the sentence of that awful tribu- 
nal, in which there will be no mistake, and from 
which there can be no appeal. Remember, that, 
w^hatever be the decision of a flattering world, 
" it is appointed unto all men once to die, and 
after that the judgment.'*^ 

II. But, secondly, consider the commendation 

BESTOWED, IN THIS ADDRESS, ON A FEW OF THE MEM- 
BERS OF THE CHURCH OF Sardis : " Thou httst a feiv 
7iamesy it is said, " even in Sardis^ inhich have not 



NOMINAL RELIGION. I 93 

defiled their garments, God is at no time without 
at least a few upon earth to testify to the power 
of his grace, and to the value of real rehgiou. 
Even in that corrupt city which is addressed in 
the text, there were a few »' faithful found among 
the faithless" — sound in doctrine, pure and ac- 
tive in practice, mild and subdued in temper ; 
men endeavouring to stem the tide of public cor- 
ruption, and to cultivate that personal " holiness, 
without which no man shall see the Lord." And 
thus, in other times and circumstances, the pro- 
phet Elijah is reminded that there are, even 
among his deluded countrymen, '• seven thou- 
sand who have not bowed the knee to Baal :" 
and our Lord addresses himself to a " little flock^ 
to whom it is the Father's good pleasure to give 
the kingdom." Many are the lessons, my Chris- 
tian brethren, which these facts convey to us. — 
In ihe first place, they instruct us that there are no 
circumstances so bad as to render goodness impossible. 
Your own society, or connexions, or immediate 
neighbourhood, may be destitute of religion, or 
even deep sunk in profligacy. Nevertheless, you 
yourself, under the Divine blessing, may be sound 
in principle, holy in life, and regulated in temper. 
It is no essential consequence of the prevalence of 
" iniquity," that the love of a^ should " wax cold." 
Every age supplies us with examples, in which 
men have risen above the level of their times ; 
have boldly " come out" from the mass of the 
ungodly ; have, like Daniel, or the young men 
consigned to the furnace of fire, adhered to the 
truth when others opposed or abandoned it. — 
And let this part of our text also convey to the 
true servants of Christ this consolatory assu- 
rance, that even the smallest company of trve tvor- 
2B 



194 SERiMOxN XII. 

shippers is not forgotten before God, As, in the 
profligate city of Sard is, the eye of God was 
lixed upon the " few," who had " kept their 
garments unspotted by the flesh;" so, at the 
present moment, " the Lord knoweth them that 
are his :" he " calleth his own sheep by their 
name :" he marks the patient and lowly disciple 
of the Cross, as he struggles with opposition or 
infirmity ; gives him present aid, and " prepares" 
ibrhim the garment of honour, and the " crown 
of joy." " Be strong," then, " and of good cou- 
rage," you who are perhaps ready to sink under 
the number and power of the enemies of religion. 
As Noah was saved when " all in whose nostrils 
was the breath of life," except eight souls, " pe- 
rished ;" as, in the awful destruction of the cities 
of the plain, God " remembered Abraham ;" as 
the people of God were landed in safety on the 
*' shores," when his enemies " sank like lead in 
the mighty waters :" so we, if simple, contrite, 
obedient, and believing, though forgotten of men, 
are known to God ; and though scorned by the 
world, shall rise from its ruins to eternal glory. 
III. But, thirdly, consider the counsel given 

TO THE CHURCH OF SaRDIS IN THIS ADDRESS : " Be 

ivatchful^^'' it is said, " and strengthen the things 
which remain^ and are ready to die'*'' — '^ remember 
how thou hast received and heard, and holdfast, and 
repent. ^^ 

Observe, my Christian brethren, the force of 
these several expressions. The people of Sardis 
are here, first, directed to " watch^ That lesson, 
which our Lord so often and so emphatically 
taught when upon earth ; that lesson, the value 
of which almost every man in words admits, but 
with the spirit of which, it is to be feared, so fe^v 



NOMINAL RFJJGION. 190 

realij comply — " Watch^ tor ye know not iIk- 
hour at which the Son of man cometlr* — is herr 
once more urged upon us by the same Saviour 
i'rom his throne in the heavens. It is a want of 
watchfulness^ coupled with a neglect of prayer, 
which is the grand source of spiritual decay and[ 
corruption. You have enemies, within and with- 
out, who are sleepless and malignant ; and will 
you sleep in the midst of them .^^ Will you not 
watch over your thoughts, affections, and actions, 
and clothe yourself in the " whole armour of 
God," so as to encounter " the fiery darts of the 
wicked .?" " Resist the devil, and he will flee 
from you." '• Draw nigh to God, and ho will 
draw nigh to you." 

The people of Sardis are next directed In 
^''Strengthen the things which remain^ — The little 
religion still remaining among them is here re- 
presented to us under the image of a patient lan- 
guishing on the bed of sickness and infirmity ; 
and we are called upon to ''''strengthen''' our dying 
faith, and love, and obedience; to supply them 
with the necessary supports ; to catch the spark 
of life, ere it be extinguished for ever. And let 
me remind even the most guilty and infirm, that 
there are means of revival which may in every 
case be employed with success. The fountain of 
Divine Mercy is not even now exhausted, and 
the great Physician is still ready to administer to 
the diseased soul. I would therelbre call upon 
you, in the beautiful language of the prophet, 
" Come, and let us return unto the Lord ; io\: ho 
hath torn and he will heal us ; he hath smitten 
and he will bind us up. After two days he will 
revive us, and the third day he will raise us up, 
and we shall live in his sight. His going forth is 



1 ^♦t) SKFIMU-N All. 

prepared as the morning, and he shall come unto 
us as the rain." Thus encouraged, my brethren, 
bring the distempered heart to God. Call upon 
him to give vigour to the pulse of religion which 
now beats so languidly, to search to the very 
core of the disease, and to fill the perishing soul 
with health, and life, and immortality. 

Again : the people of Sardis are directed in 
the text to " remember what they had received and 
heard,''^ The offenders among them had not the 
plea to offer of being strangers to the lessons of 
religion. And you yourselves, in like manner, 
are acquainted with truths powerful enough to 
shake the stubborn heart, and rouse it to life 
even when spiritual death seems to press upon it. 
^* Remember then^ what yon have received and heardJ'^ 
llemember,ifyou are persons who have ever been 
interested in religion, the former influence of 
these truths upon your soul. Remember your 
^' first love ;" " the blessedness ye spake of" — the 
zeal, the love, the joy of this infancy of religion 
— and let them help to recall you to holiness and 
to God. 

Once more : the church of Sardis are directed 
to " hold fastP How numerous are the cases of 
those who discover a total want of firmness and 
tenacity in religion! Like poor creatures forced 
over the edge of a precipice, and too feeble to 
grasp firmly the hand outstretched to save them 
— they let go their hold, and perish. Such per- 
sons the text exhorts to " holdfast.''^ If the hand 
be worth thy seizing, it is worth thy holding. If 
it is right to flee to the altar of God for safety, it 
is right never to be driven from it. " Then shall 
ye know \{ ye follow on to know the Lord.'' He 
that " endureth to the end shall be saved." 



.NOiVIliSAL KLLIGIOX. 19 

in like manner, the nominal Christians of Sar- 
dis are directed to " repent,'^'^ In other word§, they 
were not to rest satisfied with any thing short of a 
^6<ravo<a — a Complete conversion and sanctifica- 
tion of the whole heart and life to God and to 
their fellow-creatures — an entire transition from 
darkness to light, from " the power of Satan unto 
God." You are to consider little as accom- 
plished, till this change is wrought — " if any man 
be in Christ, he is a new creature : old things are 
passed away, and all things become new*" — 
Would to God, my brethren, that the counsel 
conveyed in the whole of these striking expres- 
sions were welcomed to every heart, and had its 
due influence upon all ranks of the community ! 
The page of history presents us some splendid 
examples, in which a body of troops, checked 
and dispirited for a time, have suddenly beheld 
the banner, or caught the voice of their leader ; 
and at once, throwing away their doubts and 
fears, have returned to the fight, scaled the ram- 
part, and crowned themselves with fresh tri- 
umphs and glory. Such, my brethren, would be 
the unquestionable result, if the language of the 
text were received and felt as it ought. May 
the call of the Son of God thus influence our- 
selves ! — May each one of us hear His voice, 
and go forth " conquering and to conquer !" 

IV. But, in the fourth place, let us consider 

the THREAT CONNECTED WITH THESE COUNSELS TO 

THE CHURCH OF Sardis. '' If thou shalt Tiot watch 
(says the text) / will come unto thee as a thief, and 
thou shall not know at what hour I will come upon theeP 
— All the movements of God, especially in the 
works of creation, are so precisely in order — 
the sun and the moon knowing their place, an<J 



198 -^ERMON XII. 

each season walking in the train of the other-— 
that it is difficult to jjersuade ourselves God will 
in any case interrupt this regular succession of 
events, and astonish or confound the sinner by 
any sudden or unexpected explosion of his 
wrath. But how often do his visitations thus un- 
expectedly arrest the ungodly ! How silently, 
and like the midnight assassin, does death ap- 
proach them ! And the man who sinks to rest 
in guilty security awakes perhaps in the pit of 
perdition. Such is the nature of the threat here 
issued against the church of Sardis : '' I will come 
on thee as a thief; and thou shalt not know what hour 
I will come upon theeP 

it is affecting, my brethren, to consider only 
the temporal calamities, of that ill-fated city, 
when the armies of its enemies broke in upon it 
like a flood, sweeping away alike the palace and 
the cottage, and sparing neither sex nor age. 
At this moment scarcely a vestige of the place 
remains; and some ^e\x wretched huts in the 
neighbourhood give shelter to the ^ew miserable 
creatures who profess, amidst the grossest igno- 
rance and pollution, to worship the Saviour of 
the world. And these visible calamities are the 
mere outward symbols of a ruin far more deep 
and tremendous. " The wicked shall be turn- 
ed into hell, and all the people that forget God." 
Where, where are the impenitent and infatuated 
inhabitants of this guilty city now ? In what re- 
gion of suffering are they waiting the judgment 
of the last day ? And if Sardis has suffered, 
why should the impenitent amongst ourselves 
expect to escape ? Shall not the vengeance of 
the Lord overtake us also ? " Seeing that all 
these things shall he dissolved, what manner of 



AOiMlNAL RELIGION. 199 

persons ought we to be in all holy conversation 
and godliness !" Before the bolt falls, let us flee 
to the Throne of Mercy, and say, " Spare us, 
good Lord ; spare us, whom thou hast redeem- 
ed with thy most precious blood, and be not an- 
gry with us for ever." 

V. But let us turn, in the fifth and last place, 

to the PROMISES WITH WHICH THE TEXT CLOSES. 

" He that overcomethy^ it is said, " the same shall 
be clothed in white garments^ and I will not blot his 
najne out of the book of life^ but I will confess Ms 
name before my Father and before his angels,"^ — 
Consider the extent of such a promise. 

). They " shall be clothed in white garments,'' 
— There is probably an allusion to the Jewish 
priests, who, when acquitted of any charge, 
were accustomed to walk up the temple in tri- 
umphant procession, and clothed in white gar- 
ments. And thus the triumphant Christian shall 
be " clothed in ivhite.'''' He shall be invested with 
the spotless robe of the merits of the Redeemer. 
He shall be adorned also with the mantle of 
personal sanctification and purity. His remain- 
ing guilt and infirmity shall fall from him, like the 
earthly garments of Elijah in his flight to heaven, 
and leave him " meet for the inheritance of the 
saints in light." 

It is added, " and his name will I not blot out 
from the book oflife^ — " In this," said our Lord, 
speaking of the gift of miracles, " rejoice not ; 
but rather rejoice because your names are writ- 
ten in heaven. And the names so " written," if 
only their owners be constant in the service of 
the Redeemer, it is here said, shall never be 
'' blotted out." " 1 am persuaded," says the 
\postle, when speaking of the true disciples of 



200 SERMON XII. 

Christ, " that neither death, nor life, nor angels, 
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, 
nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
any other creature, shall be able to separate us 
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our 
Lord." Delightful persuasion ! Who would ex- 
change this confidence in the love and compas- 
sion of his God for any other possession ? You^ 
if indeed the humble and faithful servants of God, 
are " sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of 
redemption." You, " when the earthly house of 
this tabernacle is dissolved, have a house not 
made with hands, eternal, in the heavens." You 
have indeed no promise which is to warrant you 
in carelessness, or presumption, or disobedience, 
or neglect of any single means of grace ; but you 
have the assurance of an ever-present Guardian 
and Friend — of the love of a God who says to 
you, " Fear not ; 1 am thy shield and thy ex- 
ceeding great reward." Who will not, then, 
" trust in the Lord, and be doing good ?" Who 
will not say, with the Psalmist, " In God I have 
put my trust ; I will not fear w hat flesh can do 
unto me ?" 

And finally, it is added with regard to the de- 
vout and consistent servant of the Lord, " I will 
confess his name before my Father^ and before his 
angels,'*'' What a distinction, my brethren, is this ! 
The name of the true Christian shall be acknow- 
ledged in the last day, in the voice which shak- 
eth the heavens ; which " shutteth, and no man 
openeth ; which openeth, and no man shutteth." 
How great will be the contrast between the ser- 
vants of God and the servants of the devil ! At 
that solemn moment, where will be the sounding 
titles of the guilty great, of the proud and emptv 



NOMINAL RELIGION. 201 

protessor of religion, of the self-complacent fol- 
lower of the world ? What master will arise to 
acknowledge them in the courts of heaven, and 
to pronounce them blessed ? Who will stand 
forth to say, " Thou art mine : touch not my 
chosen, and give not mine heritage to reproach ?" 
But at the moment when these are sinking into 
the lake of fire, a voice shall proclaim the ac- 
quittal of the contrite, — the titles and privileges 
of those lowly and devout individuals whom 
Jesus has " washed with his own blood," and 
" made priests and kings unto God for ever." 
" A book of remembrance," it is said, " was writ- 
ten before him, for them that feared the Lord ; 
— and they shall be mine, saith the Lord, at the 
day when I make up my jewels ; and I will spare 
them as a man spareth his own son that serveth 
him." " Then shall ye return and discern be- 
tween the righteous and the wicked ; between 
him that serveth God, and him that serveth him 
not." At that day may every one of yourselves 
be found among the happy number who shall be 
acknowledged by the Hedeemer; whose names 
shall be written in the book of life ; who shall 
" walk with Him in white ;" who shall dwell in 
that presence where there " is fulness of joy," 
and at that right hand wliere there " are plea- 
sures for ever more." 



SERMON XllL 

THE MANSION PREPARED FOR THE TRUE 
' CHRISTIAN. 



JOHN xiv. 2, ^. 

In my Father'' s house are many mansions : if it 
tvere not so^ I would have told you, I go to pre- 
pare a place for you. And if 1 go and prepare a 
place for you^ I will come again and receive you 
unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also. 

The disciples, at the moment, when the words 
of the text fell from the lips of the compassion- 
ate Saviour of the world, were in a state of the 
deepest dejection. He had just declared, that 
" one of them should betray him." He had warn- 
ed another, of the highest pretensions among 
them, that " before the cock crew, he should 
deny him thrice." And he had addedto these warn- 
ings the melancholy declaration that, weak as 
these predicted offences proved them to be, they 
were about to lose him, who had been so long 
their Guide, their Strength, and never-failing 
Comforter: "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is 
now come, that ye shall be scattered every man 
to his own." Were not the hearts of these lowly 
and affectionate men likely to sink under such 
intelligence ? But the Son of God " knoweth the 
adversity of his people ;" and, reading either in 
their countenances or their hearts the sorrow^ 



■r 



THE MANSION IN HEAVEN. 203 

by which they were disquieted, he addresses 
them in the affectionate words with which the 
chapter opens : " Let not your hearts be troub- 
led : ye believe in God, believe also in me." In 
other words, " Let not your hearts be troubled : 
ye believe already in God, the holy Judge of the 
world ; believe also in me, its Saviour and its 
Redeemer* If, conscious of the infirmities and 
corruptions of your nature, you shrink from 
the contemplation of a Being of infinite purity and 
justice, regard him also as the God of' love,' as 
a God softening the severer attributes of his 
character by the tenderest affection, as ' God in 
Christ reconciling the world unto himself;' and, 
thus regarding him, cast away your fears." But, 
not satisfied with thus calling upon them, in 
general terms, to believe on himself, he goes on to 
suggest to them the other topics of encourage- 
ment noticed in the text. — In a world like this, 
my Christian brethren, where almost every man 
finds the difficulty of" well-doing," and needs en- 
couragement to pursue the path of his pilgrim- 
age with constancy and joy, we cannot err by 
endeavouring to search out the full meaning, 
and to cheer our minds by the tenderness, of 
this address of our Lord. 

Let us, then, proceed to examine the words of 
the text in the order in which they occur. And 
may He who thus speaks to us be pleased to 
bless our endeavour to avail ourselves of his 
compassion and love ! 

1. The first assurance by which our Lord in 
the text encourages his true servants^ is convey- 
ed in these words : " In my Father'^s house are 
many mansions^ 

He was speaking to men who had abandoned 



204 SERxMON Xlll. 

their interests and their homes for his sake; — 
who had attached themselves to the fortunes of 
One who, " though the foxes have holes, and the 
birds of the air have nests, had not where to lay 
his head;" — who were, perhaps, often spurned, 
on account of their profession of the Gospel, 
even from the humble doors of the friends who 
had once loved and welcomed them. And to 
these destitute, fearful, and despised men, he 
says, " In my Father^s house are many mansions''' 
Consider the force of this declaration. 

In the first place, heaven is here described, 
not as the mere slight and shifting tent of the 
desert, set up at night, and taken down in the 
morning ; but as a " house^'^^ a substantial and en- 
during dwelling ; or, as it is elsewhere descri- 
bed, " a house not made with hands, eternal in 
the heavens." 

This house is said to be his " Father^s,'''' In 
other words, it is the abode, not of a stranger, 
but of " his Father," and therefore of " our Fa- 
ther." 

And in this house are said to be ^''mansions T 
or, as the original word indicates, " quiet and 
enduring chambers," which no invader can pene- 
trate, and no lapse of time destroy. 

And these mansions are farther stated to be 
" 7nany,'^'' It is as though he had said to them, 
" Your present poverty, your destitution of all 
the outward comforts and privileges of life, sup- 
plies no ground of alarm as to the future : ' in my 
Father''s house are many mansions'' — there is space 
for all." The city which has " no need of the 
sun, neither of the moon," but of which "God is 
the light," is wide as the wants of the redeemed. 
^^ Nations shall walk in the light of it." Every 



THE MAKSION IN HEAVED. ^O,'^ 

happy spirit of the " multitude which no man can 
number," shall find (here his appropriate throne, 
— a seat of uninterrupted serenity and joy. 

How numerous, my brethren, are the topics of 
encouragement involved in such a declaration ! 

The sincere Christian, still labouring under 
the pressure of his infirmity, and of his remain- 
ing corruptions, is sometimes tempted to think, 
that, however a place in the region of joy may 
be granted to those who have made high attain- 
ments in religion, none will be found for so poor 
a creature as himself But he now catches the 
blessed intelligence, '^ In mt/ Father^ s house arc 
many mansions ;" and ventures, in the hope that in 
so ample a dwelling some obscure place at least 
may be discovered even for himself, to " Uft up 
his head with joy." 

Again; the servant of God, although released 
from fear as to his own circumstances, may have 
his sympathy painfully excited by the condition 
of others. When he contemplates the multitude 
spread over the face of the world, and remem- 
bers the declaration, " Few there be who enter 
in," his heart is shocked at the prospect of the 
small number of which the kingdom of glory shall 
consist. But he also is saluted with the happy 
intelligence, " in my Father"^ s house are many man- 
sions,'''^ Although, my brethren, the number of 
devout Christians, at any given time or place, 
may be small, yet the number, of all ages and all 
countries, who shall arise to glory from this 
fallen and guilty world, will not be small. Is 
there not much to establish the conviction, that 
this constitutes only one out of innumerable 
worlds.'^ And is it not possible, that, of all the 
orbs which roll through the regions of infinite 



%J 



20(3 SERMON XJU. 

space, this alone may be guilty, this the only pro- 
digal of the great family of God ; and that, there- 
fore, from this alone, any offender will sink into 
the gulf of perdition ? Who, in this view of the 
subject, shall attempt to say what may be the 
number of happy spirits who from hour to hour 
are winging their flight from the various regions 
of temporal existence to the unchanging world of 
glory ? This we know,, that " in our Father's 
house are many mansions i'' and there shall doubt- 
less be holy and triumphant spirits to fill them 
all. How delightful is the contemplation ! Here. 
as it has been finely observed, " numbers imply 
difficulty and distress," because they soon begin 
to press upon the means of subsistence and sup- 
ply. And numbers, it may be added, in like 
manner, assist in the propagation of disease, in- 
crease the danger of tumult, and strengthen the 
contagion of vice. But, in that blessed world, 
there is neither sorrow nor sin ; and the effect of 
numbers will be only to quicken the devotion 
and strengthen the hallelujahs of the blessed. 
There shall be " ten thousand times ten thou- 
sand" voices ; but one heart shall animate, and 
one song employ them all : " Worthy art Thou, 
to take the book, and open the seals thereof; for 
thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by 
Thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and 
people, and nation." 

But, I come to consider the next clause of the 
text. 

II. It is said, secondly, in the text, ^^If it were 
not so, I would have told you!''' In other words, " If 
you, my disciples, were deceiving yourselves in 
your conceptions of the world of spirits; if you 
had erred in imagining that the heavenly house 



THE MANSION IN HEAVEN. 207 

was open, not merely to a few of the more dis- 
tinguished servants of God, but also to every sin- 
cere and lowly disciple of the cross ; ' / loould 
have told you ;' I would not have allowed you to 
live in error as to so material a point." — I notice 
this expression, my Christian brethren, not mere- 
ly in reference to the particular truth with which 
it is connected in the text, but in its application 
to our general circumstances. " If it were not so. 
I would have told you^"* What is it which such an 
assurance entitles the sincere and affectionate 
disciple of his Redeemer to expect. Surely this; 
that, notwithstanding the difficulties necessarily 
connected with the service of an invisible God 
and the pursuit of an invisible world ; notwith- 
standing the certainty, that on such a subject as 
religion there will be mysteries too deep for us 
to fathom, and perplexities too intricate for us to 
unravel ; yet, as to all essential truths, as to all 
that respects our hopes, our spiritual duties, our 
eternal joys, the Lord will give us every neces- 
sary instruction. He will not, if we duly employ 
the means of instruction, suffer us to fall into any 
errors which shall be fatal to our eternal salva- 
tion. Let it not be thought, however, that, in 
stating this deduction from the text, I design to 
encourage a temper of presumptuous speculation 
in religion, or even a habit of unnecessarily and 
eagerly busying the mind with its disputable 
points. To the first of these cases that rule of 
Scripture applies, " Thou shalt not tempt the 
Lord thy God." And, of the last, I will venture to 
say, that spiritual religion will never be found in 
intimate alliance with a disputatious temper. 
" Whereas," says the Apostle, '-'- there is among 
you envy in o: and strife< and divisions, arc ye not 



208 SEaMo> XII 1. 

carnal^ and walk as men ?" That declaration of 
God is decisive, as to the duty of creatures as 
crippled and limited in every faculty as our- 
selves ; *' The secret things belong unto the Lord 
our God ; but the things that are revealed, to us 
and to our children, that we may do them." 
Knots there are, my brethren, which our puny 
hands will never untie ; difficulties, which are 
left in the word of God rather to try our humility 
than to satisfy our thirst of knowledge. Vanity, 
therefore, or a desertion of Scripture, or a spirit 
of party, or a determination to conform our prin- 
ciples to a worldly life, or a rash surrender of 
ourselves to insufficient authority, or a mad reli- 
ance upon our own unassisted powers, or a de- 
light in dissenting from established opinions — 
any of these causes may countervail the promise 
of the text, and cast us amidst the rocks and 
whirlpools of error and destruction. But employ 
your Bibles and your reason diligently, and in 
implicit dependence upon a compassionate Re- 
deemer, and you shall " go on your way" peace- 
fully and " rejoicing." While many a tall ves- 
sel founders in those depths into which it should 
never have ventured, your little bark shall sail 
with safety. " Fear thou not, for I am with thee ; 
be not dismayed, for I am thy God : I will 
strengthen thee ; jea, I will help thee ; yea, I will 
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteous- 
ness." 

III. The third topic of consolation suggested 
in the text is thus stated; "/^o to prepare a place 
for you."' " What is it to me," the contrite sinner 
may say, *' that there is a ' house of many man- 
sions' in heaven ? how can / enter it ? Is it not 
!=^aid. * There shall in do wise enter into it any 



THE JMANSIOiN L\ HEAVEN. 209 

thing which defileth ?' and is there not much in 
the general dispensations of God to assure us of 
the strictness with which this declaration shall 
be fulfilled ? Do I not know, that when the 
Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, a line was 
drawn around the foot of the mountain, beyond 
which the great mass of the Israelites were for- 
bidden to pass ? Do I not know, that into the 
holy of holies, where the Lord was pleased to 
place the mere symbol of his presence, none but 
the High Priest was permitted to enter ? How, 
then, can I venture over the threshold of the 
golden door ; or lift up my head in the presence 
of the ' High and Lofty One that inhabiteth 
eternity ?' " — To such reasoners our Lord him- 
self, in the text, replies, " I go to prepare a place 
for youy If, my brethren, you are sincere fol- 
lowers of this compassionate High Priest, he is 
" touched with the feeling of your infirmities," 
and is gone to prepare a place for you — a man- 
sion in heaven. He is gone, as your Forerun- 
ner, to take possession of it in your name. He 
is gone to raise for you another throne amidst the 
principalities of heaven. How finely is his ap- 
proach to the world of spirits, for the accomplish- 
ment of this gracious promise, described in the 
Book of Psalms ! " Lift up your heads, O ye 
gates ; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors ; 
and the King of Glory shall come in." " fFAo," 
ask the angels within, " who is the King of Glo- 
ry .'*" And the spirits from without reply, " The 
Lord of hosts : He is the King of Glory." — Let 
the discouraged penitent then take heart. It is 
the "King of Glory" who pleads for you ; who 
claims for you, as the purchase of his blood, a 
throne amidst the " spirits of the just." Bv 
2 D 



210 SERMON XIIL 

him " we have access to the Father ;" by him 
the wall of partition is cast down ; by him we 
obtain a right to the tree of life, and to the 
paradise of God ; by him we are prepared for 
heaven, and heaven for us ; by him we shall be 
presented as " spotless" at the bar of God: we 
shall bear his name on our foreheads, and that 
shall be our passport and title to all the trea- 
sures and honours of our Father's house. 

IV. But, fourthly, he adds this encourage- 
ment, ^^ If I go and prepare a place for you^ I will 
coine again and receive you unto myself'''^ In other 
words ; " If such be my errand, if it is to pre- 
pare a place for you that I go, I will not forget 
the objects of my love, but yiiWcome again,^^ The 
expression in the original, which is here trans- 
lated " I will come again," means properly, " I 
do come again ;" and, in fact, the Lord is comings 
from day to day, on this visit of mercy. He is 
in this, and in every place, though we know it 
not. He meets his servants in the hour of de- 
votion, of worldly business, of trial, and of tempt- 
ation. He is preparing them for his great and 
final descent into the world ; and " he shall 
come again," not, as we have before seen him, 
in the form and weakness of fallen man, but " in 
the glory of his Father, with his holy angels." 
And when he thus comes, it shall be to receive 
us finally to himself. He shall summons his peo- 
ple from the four winds of heaven. " The dead 
in Christ shall rise first : then they which are 
alive and remain, shall be caught up together 
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the 
air." There, the martyr, who has died under 
the sword, or amidst the fires of persecution ; 
there, the missionary, who has fallen by the ar- 



THE MANSION IN HEAVEN. 2\ 1 

row that flieth bj day, or by the pestilence that 
walketh in darkness ; there, the servants of God, 
who have sunk under the pressure of life, shall 
all arise from the bed of death to seek a refuge 
in the bosom of their Lord. O what a scene 
will then be presented to the eye of the Chris- 
tian ! With what anxiety will those angels, who 
" rejoice over one sinner that repenteth," watch 
to see from what additional grave another spirit 
shall arise to shake off the dust of death, and to 
be added to their illustrious company ! How 
anxiously will they inquire, whom the Lord will 
be pleased to receive to himself! With what 
transport will they welcome the redeemed to the 
garden of life, lead them beside the living foun- 
tains, and feed them with the fruit of the tree 
whose " leaves are for the healing of the na- 
tions !" 

V. And this brings me to the last topic of en- 
couragement suggested in the text : " Where lam. 
there ye shall be also^ 

The presence of God, and of the Saviour, is 
always described in Scripture as one of the pri- 
mary sources of heavenly happiness. " I wilU^ 
says our Lord, " that those whom thou hast giv- 
en me be with me where I am, that they may 
behold my glory." And it is, indeed, a source of 
unspeakable comfort to the servant of the Cross, 
that he may hope for the fulfilment of this mer- 
ciful promise of his Lord. It is the joy of his 
life here, if, through the clouds of this valley of 
tears, he can catch the faintest glimpse of his 
Redeemer. It is his grief that worldly objects 
so often darken this view of himself, and of the 
Master he loves ; that he should see so little of 
the light of his countenance, and feel so little of 



^212 SERMON XUl. 

the power of his presence. If it was enough to 
allay the fear of the disciples, to hear the words, 
" It is I," what a consolation is it to hope that 
we may be " with him where he is /" Who shall 
describe the joy of the trembling servant of the 
Lord, when he first opens his eyes upon the 
judgment-seat, and discovers in his Judge, not 
some stern and indignant minister of the Divine 
Justice, but this very Saviour; and sees the 
throne he has prepared for the contrite and be- 
lieving ! In this world of change and decay, my 
Christian brethren, we can hardly form a con- 
ception of a state that " changeth not," and of a 
Friend who, considered in his nature, his laws, 
and his love, is " the same yesterday, to-day, 
and for ever." And yet such is the state, and 
such the Friend, to whom the text introduces 
the real Christian : " where he is, there you 
shall be also." Your happiness shall be bound 
up in that of your Lord's. It shall be lasting as 
the glory and perfections of Him, of whom it is 
said, " Thou art the same, and thy years shall 
not fail." 

But I must here close this examination of the 
text, in order to make a brief application of it 
to several classes, of which every congregation 
may be conceived to consist. 

1. And, in the first place, I would speak to 
any profligate or impenitent sinner, who may 
chance to be in this assembly.— What then, 
have you^ I would ask, in the present life of pol- 
lution or folly you have chosen, to compare with 
the joys offered in the text to the lowly and af- 
fectionate disciple of Christ? And what are 
your hopes as to the future ? You, alas ! in your 
present circumstances, know nothingof this Sa^ 



_ji 



IHE MANSION IN HEAVEN. '2Vd 

viour, and he knows nothing of you. It is true, 
you also have a Master ; and (though I make 
this application of the text with awe and reve- 
rence) he too is " preparing a place for you ;" 
that, if unchanged, ^' where he is, there you may 
be also." But, oh the horror of such a state ! of 
standing from hour to hour on so fine an edge, 
with the pit " whose smoke ascendeth for ever 
and ever," enlarging its mouth beneath you! 
Awake, aioake^ poor lost creature, to a sense of 
your miserable condition ! " Press toward the 
mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in 
Christ Jesus." " Escape for your life ! Look not 
behind you !" See if the kind and tender Sa- 
viour, who speaks to us in the text, will not even 
now have mercy upon you — will not still wel- 
come you to his arms — lead you to his cross — 
pardon and bless you — throw wide to you the 
golden gates — snatch you from everlasting burn- 
ings, and seat you upon the throne, where He 
himself is seated for evermore. 

2. I would speak next to the thovghtkss and 
icorldly, — It cannot, my brethren, escape your 
observation, that all the encouragement of the 
text is founded upon the conception that our 
happiness is derived from communion with 
Christ, from dwelling in his presence, and de- 
lighting in his love. If, then, in opposition to all 
this, your happiness centres in this world ; if the 
stream of your comforts rises on this side eter- 
nity; if to hear of Christ, to think of him, to 
speak of him, to pray to him, are not delightful 
occupations to you : then, to take any comfort 
from the text, and other passages of a similar 
import, is to usurp privileges to which you have 
no possible pretension, and to lay a flattering 



214 SERMOxN Xlll. 

unction to your poor deluded soul. Would to 
God that any thing I could urge upon you to-day 
— the shortness of life, the astonishing reverses 
of this state of being, the certainty of judgment, 
and of the eternal misery of the unconverted — 
might prompt you to call upon the Redeemer for 
pardon, and grace, and everlasting compassion! 
The text speaks also to you; and it offers you, 
if penitent and renewed in the " image of God," 
a place in the world of spirits, in the bright 
chambers of heaven, in the happy region where 
the Saviour presides. And, as yet. He waits to 
be gracious, and calls upon you from " heaven 
his dwelling-place." O hasten, my brethren, to 
take refuge in his arms. Plead his own dying 
love to sinners. Relinquish the world, ere it 
abandons you, and leaves you to wither like a 
garland in the grasp of the great enemy of souls. 
Call upon the Saviour, that he may " plant you, 
as a tree of righteousness," in the paradise of 
God for ever. 

3. Lastly, I would speak once more to that 
class of persons to whom the text is especially 
addressed, the doubting or sorrowing servant of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Whilst I would continue to 
press upon you, my Christian brethren, the rich 
consolations of the text, I would also urge upon 
you one additional consideration. If the Saviour 
of the world is gone into heaven, not to repose 
after the work of redemption, not simply to re- 
ceive the homage of admiring worlds, but to 
" prepare a place in heaven for you ;" how ob- 
vious and paramount is the duty that you also 
should, by the power of the Holy Spirit, labour 
to obtain a " meetness" for that " new heavens, 
and new earth, wherein dwelleth risjhteous- 



THE BOOK OF JOB. 215 

ness ?" — Beware, my brethren, of the uusancti- 
fying influence of the world, of its pleasures, its 
pursuits, its principles, and its cares. Gladly 
welcome every event of which it is the tendency 
and design to wean the heart from this world, 
and to fix it upon another. " Yet a little while, 
and he that shall come will come, and will not 
tarry." Walk, therefore, amidst the scenes of 
the world, as men waiting for your Lord, and to 
whom he can never come too soon. Listen to 
him, as he speaks from the circle of the heavens 
on which he sits : " Behold, I come quickly." 
And let every mouth and heart reply, " Amen, 
even so : come, Lord Jesus." 



SERMON XIV. 

THE BOOK OF JOB. 

JOB xlii. 5, 6. 

1 have heard of thee by the hearing of tfie ear^ butnow 
mine eye seeth thee : wherefore I abhor myself and 
repent in dust and ashes. 

The Book of Job must be considered as one 
of the most striking parts of the sacred writings. 
Its lofty eloquence, and its interesting story ; the 
grandeur of the character whose history it re- 
cords ; his sufferings, his reasonings, his general 
integrity, his errors, his humiliation, his final tri- 



216 SERMON XIV. 

umph — all conspire to render it an invaluable 
legacy to the church of God. But, however 
important when understood, and however intel- 
ligible when closely examined; its plan and 
argument do not at once present themselves 
distinctly to the mind. So much that is right 
mingles itself with the false reasoning of the 
friends of Job, and so much of defect shades the 
excellence of the Patriarch, that we are almost 
startled, in the conclusion of the work, to disco- 
ver the nearly unmixed approbation bestowed 
on the one, and the unqualified censure inflicted 
on the other. On these grounds, f have thought 
it might be useful to take a general survey of this 
interesting book ; and to endeavour, under the 
Divine blessing, to draw from it some of those 
lessons it is calculated to convey. — May that 
Spirit who breathed these lessons of heavenly 
wisdom into the mind of the author of this his- 
tory, be present with us in this inquiry ! 

It is my intention, in pursuing this examina- 
tion, 

I. To TAKE A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE CONTENTS 

OF THE BOOK OF JoB ; and, 

IL To STATE SOME OF THE PRACTICAL LESSONS 
WHICH FLOW FROM IT. 

I. In the first place, we are to take a brief 

SURVEY OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS SACRED BOOK. 

The history opens by giving us some account 
of Job — that he was a man " perfect and up- 
right ;" one that " feared God," and " eschewed 
evil ;" and that he was the " greatest of all the 
men of the East." The enemy of souls could 
not behold such a man without desiring his de- 
struction. Accordingly, he ascends to the tri- 
bunal of God : at once denies that Job has any 



BOOK OF JOB. '217 

i^eal virtue ; ascribes all the appearance of it to 
the peculiar blessings he enjoys; and, finally, 
says to God, " Touch all he hath, and he will 
curse thee to thy face." Satan is permitted to 
inflict every worldly calamity upon him : but in 
vain : " in patience possessed he his soul ;" and 
he merely exclaimed, " The Lord gave, and the 
Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of 
the Lord." Again the unrelenting malice of the 
devil carries him to the throne of God, and he 
obtains permission to scourge the Patriarch with 
eyevy personal affliction— indeed, to " touch all 
but his life." Although assailed at every point 
by the malignity of the great enemy, the faith 
and patience of the sufferer continue for a time 
unshaken. Even when urged by the violence of 
her who should have soothed his troubled spirit, 
and restrained his rising violence, to " curse 
God and die;" it is said, " he took a potsherd to 
scrape himself;" and " sat down among the 
ashes," and said, " Shall we receive good at the 
hands of God, and shall we not receive evil .f*" 

At this period, three of his friends — Eliphaz, 
Bildad, and Zophar — come to him. It was then 
that, unable any longer to sustain his accumu- 
lated burdens, his faith gave way ; and though 
he did not " curse God," he cursed the day of 
his birth, and deplored in the most vehement 
language the wretchedness of his condition. 

After a silence of some time, his pretended 
friends begin to address him. Instead, however, 
of attempting to follow them into the details of 
the discussion, we can touch only on its general 
character. Instead of pitying his sufferings, in- 
stead of tracing them to the compassion of God, 
instead of treating them as the gentle chastise- 
2 E 



218 SERMON XIV. 

ments of a Father's hand, they first maintain the 
erroneous principle, that peculiar suffering is a 
proof of peculiar guilt; and then apply the rea- 
soning to the particular case of Job. They tell 
him, that his singular sufferings are the fruit of 
his peculiar criminality ; that had he been up- 
right, he would have escaped them; and that 
real repentance would at once remove them. 

Job, in his various replies, meets this attack 
as might be expected. He denies both the ge- 
neral principle, and its peculiar application. 
For a time he reasons calmly and wisely ; but, 
at length, stung by the harshness and injustice 
of their charges, he is hurried into expressions 
which border upon presumption, and even upon 
impiety. Sometimes his principles, and some- 
times his passions, appear to prevail; and he is 
pious and intemperate by turns. Now he ac- 
knowledges the justice and mercy of God; and, 
in a moment, denies them. In one place, he ap- 
pears to remember no longer that there is a 
world of compensation for the sufferings of the 
righteous ; but, in another, the eye of faith seems 
to pierce through the darkness of intervening 
ages, and he exclaims, " I know that my Re- 
deemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the 
latter day upon the earth." 

In the thirty-third chapter, Elihu, a new cha- 
racter, is introduced. He has heard a part, at 
least, of the preceding controversy between Job 
and his companions, and has noticed the injus- 
tice of the assault made upon him. He enters the 
lists; begins by justifying the Patriarch against 
his opponents, and ends by displaying to him the 
defects of his own argument and temper. He 
charges him with distrust of the compassion and 



BOOK OF JOB. 219 

love of God, and with having unjustly maintain- 
ed that happiness is more frequently the lot of 
the guilty than of the good : and then, in order 
to expose to Job his unfitness to contend with 
God, he exhibits to him a splendid picture of the 
perfections of the Godhead, especially as mani- 
fested in the works of creation. 

At length, to conclude the argument, and to 
establish the truth; at once to convince Job, to 
pardon, and to bless him ; the Divine Being is 
himself represented as descending, — as casting 
his eye round on the wonders of creation, and 
exhibiting to the astonished offender such a dis- 
play of the attributes of God, of his glory and 
perfections, that Job, amazed, humbled, con- 
founded, sinks at the feet of his Maker, exclaim- 
ing, in the emphatic language of the text, " I have 
heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but 
now mine eye seeth Thee : and I abhor myself, 
and repent in dust and ashes." 

These words are no sooner uttered than the 
God of love pronounces sentence between the 
contending parties. He condemns the opponents 
of Job, for their injustice and harshness. He 
pardons and comforts his afflicted servant; com- 
mands him to intercede for his adversaries ; and, 
in the end, doubles all the blessings of which by 
the malignity of Satan he had been deprived. 
" The Lord," it is said, " gave Job twice as much 
as he had before," and " blessed his latter end 
more than his beginning." 

11. It will now be my endeavour, in the second 
place, as was proposed, to suggest some of the 

LESSONS WHICH THIS STRIKING HISTORY IS CALCU- 
LATED TO CONVEY. 

1. One of the first truths in which the Book 



220 BERiVION XIV. 

of* Job instructs us, is in the unwearied malignity 
of the great enemy of »ur souls^ the c?e?;//.— There is 
much incredulity as to the existence of such an 
enemj, even amongst those who profess a per- 
fect belief in Scripture, and, doubtless, the subtle 
and invisible nature of all spiritual agency is cal- 
culated to confirm the skepticism of those who 
are unwilling to be convinced. But, in this his- 
tory, the veil is withdrawn from the spiritual 
world; the recesses of hell are laid open; the 
movements of the arch-enemy described ; and 
we are permitted, as it were, to see him arming 
for the conflict, and marching to the assault on 
the fallen children of Adam. Observe the ea- 
gerness and perseverance of his hostility. No 
anguish of the sufferer softens him ; no disap- 
pointment discourages him. He brings up new 
forces to the contest, and wages war even in the 
face, and against the word, of Omnipotence. — 
And should not such facts as these, my brethren, 
be a solemn warning to ourselves ? ft is true, 
that, as we look around us into the field of na- 
ture, little but scenes of calmness, and loveli- 
ness, and undisturbed serenity, present them- 
selves. But, nevertheless, the "prince of the 
power of the air" is abroad and active; and 
were things invisible at once to assume a palpa- 
ble form, how many scenes of terror would burst 
upon the eye ! The Prophet, when the multi- 
tude saw nothing, " beheld horses of fire, and 
chariots of fire :" and, however invisible this 
spiritual hostility to others, the Christian sees 
enough to fill him with caution, and prompt him 
to " watch," and to " pray." The enemy who 
assailed Job, my Christian brethren, still " walks 
up and down, seeking whom he may devour." 



BOOK OF JOB. 221 

Gan those have any real confidence in this state- 
ment, who yet never prepare for the encounter 
with this formidable enemy; who freely and 
needlessly frequent the scenes where he may 
be supposed more especially present ; who in- 
corporate themselves with the individuals most 
abandoned to his influence ; who throw away the 
only legitimate weapons of spiritual warfare — 
watchfulness, and intimate communion with 
God ? Should we not live, my brethren, in some 
measure, as if in an enemy's country ? Should 
we not expect temptation in every event and 
circumstance of life? Should we not strive, 
through God, to " resist the devil, that he may 
flee from us?" Should we not solemnly and 
earnestly supplicate, for ourselves and others, 
that, when " the enemy breaketh in like a flood, 
the Spirit of the Lord may lift up a standard 
against him ?" 

2. A second lesson which is taught by the his- 
tory of Job, and which indeed may be consider- 
ed as the moral of the whole argument between 
the Patriarch and his opponents, is, that trials in 
this world are not to be considered as any proofs of 
peculiar guilt. If, indeed, this life were all ; if 
this world were the scene of final reward and 
punishment; if even prosperity here gave the 
least promise of happiness hereafter ; we might 
expect that the righteous would be uniformly 
the prosperous, and every vial of calamity be 
emptied on the wicked. But, on the contrary, 
Scripture abounds in declarations as to the dan- 
ger of prosperity, elevation, and wealth ; as to 
the extensive advantages of affliction ; and as to 
the awful reverses which will take place at the 
tribunal of God. " Seekest thou sjreat things to 



222 SERMON XIV. 

thyself?" it is said : " seek them not." " In hell 
the rich man lifted^ up his eyes, being in tor- 
ments." " Many that are first shall be last, and 
the last first." And how emphatically is the 
same truth taught in the history of Job ! Here 
you are suffered, as it were, to pass behind the 
scenes of the great drama of human existence, 
and to watch the movements of Divine Provi- 
dence. You see who it is that permits the afflic- 
tions of the righteous. You hear the permission 
granted at the very moment when the Divine 
Being is pronouncing the highest encomium on 
the individual on whom the blow is to fall. It is 
not in this case the profligate and detested of- 
fender on whom the storm descends. He per- 
haps may be " lying on the couch of ivory," and 
" chanting to the sound of the viol," whilst the 
true servant of God may feel the " arrows of 
God drinking up his spirit." — And is not this, 
my brethren, a source of encouragement to the 
afflicted servants of the Redeemer.? Your suf- 
ferings are no evidence either of your peculiar 
guilt, or of the displeasure of your God. It is 
the language of God himself, " Whom I love, I 
rebuke and chasten." These trials are the vi- 
sitations of a Father's hand. They are steps in 
the process by which he is weaning you from 
earth, and fitting you for heaven. 

Nor shall these afflictions be blessed to your- 
selves alone. Under the influence of the Holy 
Spirit, the benefit shall be extended to the whole 
church of God. The sufferings of Job were de- 
signed to exhibit the " patience of Job ;" and his 
" patience" to become a standing evidence of 
the power of religion, to all men of all ages in 
the pilgrimage of life. And how strikingly has 



BOOK OP JOB. 223 

this object been accomplished ! Millions have 
looked into his life, as into a mirror, and have 
turned away to bow with deeper and more en- 
tire resignation to the whole will of God. And 
you yourselves, my afflicted brethren, are de- 
signed to serve the same important purpose in 
the great economy of Providence. Rejoice, 
therefore, that you are " counted worthy to suf- 
fer" — worthy to have so high an office commit- 
ted to you — worthy to have the ark of the Lord 
even for a moment committed to your hands. 
Remember, I beseech you, how many are to pro- 
fit from your example. Remember also who are 
the spectators of the conflict in which you are 
engaged, — that God and his angels bend from 
the throne of glory to see who shall illustrate, 
by patience, and calmness, and perseverance, 
the faith of a crucified Master. " Seeing, then, 
we are compassed about with so great a cloud 
of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and 
the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run 
with patience the race that is set before us, 
looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of 
our faith." 

3. A third lesson most forcibly taught by the 
Book of Job, is the crime of passing harsh judg- 
ments upon the circumstances of others. It is, witn- 
out doubt, a solemn duty, to avail ourselves of 
the hour of affliction, in order to carry home the 
truths of religion to the heart of the sufferer. 
There is no season in which the vanities of life 
suffer so complete an eclipse ; neither is there 
any moment in which the mind is so alive to right 
impressions. On these accounts, endeavours 
made at this particular period, if conducted with 
tenderness, and in implicit dependence upon the 



ti24 SERMON XIW 

Holy Spirit, will often be successful. It is not, 
therefore, your efforts to instruct the afflicted, to 
mingle with the draughts of consolation the wa- 
ters of life, that we design to condemn. Elihu 
escaped the sentence of condemnation passed 
upon the other visiters of Job. It is not hones- 
ty, or holy zeal in warning the afflicted, — but it 
is harshness, and the desire to aggravate the suf- 
ferings of Job, by perverting them into eviden- 
ces of guilt, and the attempt to rob him of the 
only real consolation in calamity, the persuasion 
of the Divine presence and love, — which is cen- 
sured in these pretended friends. Remember, 
my brethren, what a world of trial we live in, 
and " bear ye one another's burdens." Remem- 
ber, in instructing others, to indulge no vanity 
or fretfulness of your own. Often be found at 
the couch of the miserable, drying their tears ; 
binding up the broken heart; calming the 
troubled spirit ; leading the sufferer to the 
" Man of Sorrows ;" revealing to him the great 
" Comforter ;" lifting his eyes to the happy laiid 
" where the wicked cease from troubling and 
the weary are at rest," where the " Lamb shall 
lead us by living fountains of water, and God 
shall wipe away all tears from our eyes." Let 
the temper of your mind be that of the Master 
you serve ; " the bruised reed will he not break, 
and the smoking flax will he not quench." 

4. A fourth lesson taught by this striking his- 
tory is conveyed to us especially in the words of 
the text — viz. that the object of the visitations of 
GQd^ in the case of his true servants, is to bring them 
to deeper humiliation and self^ibasement in his pre- 
sence, " I abhor myself," says Job, " and repent 
in dust and ashes/* 



fiOOK OF JOB. 225 

Job, as it is frequently seen, when Urged too 
vehemently in one direction, presses too strong- 
ly in another; when unjustly charged with pe- 
culiar guilt, insists too loudly on his own inno- 
cence. In that frame of mind he is tempted to 
desire even that he may be confronted with 
God himself, and almost challenges the " High 
and holy One" to bring an indictment against 
him. But his wish is no sooner granted, and 
the holy God condescends to confer with his 
poor creature, than, as might be expected, the 
patriarch sinks into the dust, and utters the 
striking acknowledgment of the text. And, my 
brethren, every movement of Divine Providence 
is designed to bring us to the same posture of 
mind ; to conduct us to the foot of the Cross; 
to put into our mouths the simple, humble, 
heartfelt acknowledgment, " I abhor myself, 
and repent in dust and ashes." Let it be ob- 
served from whose lips this confession proceeds. 
Is he a sinner above all the sinners of Idumea? 
Is he a man unusually profligate, or barely mo- 
ral ? On the contrary, he is a man pronounced 
by God himself to be " perfect and upright;" 
a man produced by Apostles as an example to 
the Church, not merely for the depth of his hu- 
mility, but the purity of his conduct. Who then 
amongst ourselves shall not cast his pride to the 
ground ; shall not prostrate his soul before God ; 
shall not fly for refuge to the blood of atonement, 
and to the intercession and righteousness of a 
Redeemer ? 

5. A fifth lesson to be learned from this histo- 
ry is, that one of the best means^ under Divine grace ^ 
of bringing the mind to this low conception of our oion, 
pretensions^ is to dwell much vpon the pcrfectimis of 
2 F 



226 SERMON XIV, 

God. The communications of Elihu are chiefly 
occupied, as we have said, in displaying the 
majesty of God as discovered in the works of 
creation — in the bright scenery of nature, in the 
nightly pomp of the heavens, in the marvels of 
the deep, in the living miracles of wisdom and 
skill which wander over the face of the earth, 
or skim the air. or cut the water, or inhabit, un- 
der endless variety of form and colour, the im- 
measurable regions of space. And when the 
great Architect of this fair frame is pleased Him- 
self to descend, and hold high converse with 
his servant, he pursues the same course. He 
lifts as it were a corner of the veil from the face 
of nature, and, displaying to the Patriarch the 
wonders of creation, bids him acknowledge, at 
once, the nothingness of man and the infinite 
perfections of God. Nor is the command in 
vain. Overwhelmed with the majesty of the 
scene displayed to him. Job at once shrinks in- 
to himself, confesses his unworthiness and 
adores his God. And his case is not peculiar. 
We are often seduced into thinking highly of 
ourselves by employing too low a standard of 
excellence. Look, my Christian brethren, be- 
yond yourselves ; survey the wide scene before 
you, and launch out into the depth of the per- 
fections of God. See Him above, beneath, 
" surrounding you on all sides and touching you 
at every point;" occupying every point of space, 
and living through every moment of time: mer- 
cy, holiness, justice, wisdom, power, all meeting 
in Him as in their proper source and centre. 
Behold this great Being, especially as the God 
of redemption ; as " God manifest in the flesh," 
as " God in Christ reconciling the world to him- 



BOOK OF JOB. 227 

self," as God so loving this guilty world as, in 
" the form of man," to live, to suffer, to die for 
it ; and, having thus contemplated his immea- 
surable perfections, turn, if you are able, vv^ith 
an eye of complacency to yourself Look at 
man fallen, infirm, corrupt, and will you hesitate 
to say, " Behold, I am vile ; I will lay my hand 
on my mouth" — " 1 abhor myself, and repent in 
dust and ashes ?" 

6. In the sixth place, the Book of Job instructs 
us, that patience, springing from a religious princi- 
ple, from love to God, and a sense of his fatherly kind- 
ness, is a grace highly acceptable in the sight of God. 
— Such was the character of Job: " The Lord 
gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; blessed 
be the name of the Lord." Such that of Eli : 
" It is the Lord ; let him do what seemeth him 
good." Such that of David : " I became dumb, 
for it was thy doing." Such especially that of 
Christ, who, suffering the penalties due to a guil- 
ty world, exclaimed only, "Not my will, but thine 
be done." It hath been said, that perfect resig- 
nation to the will of God is the last lesson learnt 
by a Christian. Still the cultivation of this frame 
of mind is among his primary duties ; and it is his 
highest wisdom. The tenderness of God de- 
serves it, and the trials of life imperiously de- 
mand it. 

Finally, we are taught, by the Book of Job, 
that, in all ages, the church of God looked forward, 
with greater or less degrees of light and confidence, to 
the final appearance of a Redeemer for the deliver- 
nnce of the world. — How striking is the exclama- 
tion of the Patriarch, '-I know that my Redeem- 
er liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter 
day upon the earth ; and though after my sMq 



228 SERMON XIV. 

worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall 1 
see God ; whom I shall see for myself, and mine 
eyes shall behold, and not another!" It is im- 
possible, from the rareness of such allusions in 
the Book of Job, and the contemporary writings, 
to decide with what degree of distinctness the 
scheme of redemption by the death of the Son 
of God was revealed to this distinguished ser- 
vant of God, or to what extent the communica- 
tion made to Adam, and revived to Abraham, 
had been lost amidst the shades of surrounding 
idolatry. But this passage of holy writ will 
scarcely allow us to doubt that, even then, 
the eye of the devout servants of God was fixed 
upon the great Deliverer ; that the darkness of 
accumulated ages could not conceal the Star 
which was to arise out of Jacob; that the holiest 
and the wisest men were anticipating salvation, 
not by any deserts of their own, but by the gra- 
cious interference and advent of their God. But, 
my brethren, whatever may have been the 
indistinctness oi their knowledge of Christ, these 
clouds are now dispersed. Was Job but par- 
tially instructed in these blessed truths, and yet, 
did his heart thus expand and exult in the dis- 
tant contemplation of them.'* Who, then, of us 
shall not be ashamed of the coldness of heart 
with which we too often approach the cross of 
our Saviour ? Who, of us, will fail to oppose to 
the trials and calamities of life, to a sense of his 
own weakness, to the impending terrors of a dy- 
ing bed, this glorious truth, " I know that my 
Redeemer liveth .-^'^ Whose voice shall not be 
heard in peril and in safety, in the depth of his 
solitude and in the circle of his friends, in the 
season of sickness or in the hour of triumph. 



REPENTANCE. 22S> 

^' God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross 
of our Lord Jesus Christ !" In the spirit of this 
exclamation, strive, my Christian brethren, to 
live and to die ; and our Lord and Saviour shall 
soon fulfil his own promise, " When I am lifted 
up, I will draw all men unto me." — Lord, thou 
art now " lifted" on the cross. Thou hast now 
ascended to heaven. O draw us to Thyself! 
Draw us from the paths of doubt, and coldness, 
and inconsistency ; and " make us pillars in the 
temple of our God ;" in that " temple," whence 
we shall " go no more out, but bear the name of 
God, and participate in his joys for ever and 



SERMON XV. 

THE PENITENT RETURNING TO GOD 
HOSEA xiv. 1—3. 

O Israel^ return unto the Lord thy God ; for thou hast 
fallen in thine iniquity. Take with you words^ and 
turn to the Lord : say unto him^ Take away all in- 
iquity^ and receive us graciously : so will we render 
the calves of our lips, Asshur shall not save us ; we 
ivill not ride upon horses : neither will we say any 
'snore to the work of our hands^ Ye are our gods ; 
for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. 

Not only is the obligation to repent universal, 
but the main features of real repentance are in- 



230 SERMON XV. 

variably the same. It is the like corruptions of 
heart and practice over which the contrite sinnet 
of every age and country has to mourn; it is the 
same mercy-seat he has to approach ; it is the 
same God to whom he has to be reconciled. In 
this point of view it has appeared to me that the 
striking description presented to us in the text, 
of the tribes of Israel returning, with contrition 
of heart, to the God whom they had so long and 
so deeply offended, might assist us in judging of 
the character of our own penitence, and of the 
spirit in which we are seeking reconciliation 
with our offended Father. May that Saviour 
who is " exalted to give repentance, and remis- 
sion of sins" to his lost creatures, shed forth his 
blessing upon us in the pursuit of this inquiry ! 

It is my intention to consider what is suggested 
in the text, 

I. As TO THE GENERAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF MAN- 

KIND. 

II. As TO OUR DUTY UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTAN- 
CES. 

III. As TO THE ENCOURAGEMENT TO DISCHARiGE 
THIS DUTY. 

I. In the first place, we are to consider what is 
suggested in the text as to the general circum^ 

STANCES OF MANKIND. 

The expression in the text, " thou hast fallen ^^^ 
applies, of course, primarily and directly to the 
case of the Jews, to whom the Prophet is parti- 
cularly addressing himself. They had " fallen " 
in every sense of the word : their vices had been 
their ruin : their city w^as destroyed, their tem- 
ple consumed, and they themselves were cap- 
tives in a strange land. Nor were the physical 
and outward evils of their condition the worst 



REPENTANCE. 231 

to which they were exposed. The work of de- 
devastation had reached their minds as well as 
their bodies. Even under the pressure of such 
tremendous calamities they were hardened and 
impenitent. Many of them still clung to their 
sins ; and many even addicted themselves to the 
idolatries of the heathen. 

But it is not my intention to consider the case 
of the Jews exclusively. I wish rather, as has 
been already stated, to treat the subject gene- 
rally, and to consider the application of these 
words, " thou hast fallen," to the general cir- 
cumstances of mankind. Too high a concep- 
tion is apt to prevail as to our actual condition. 
Let us endeavour to form a just estimate of our 
circumstances. 

1. Consider for example, in the first place, the 
state of degradation to which man has fallen. — Sur- 
vey the first man as he proceeded from the hands 
qf his Maker, "holy, harmless, undefiled ;" and 
then, take a view of the successors to this pure 
and lofty creature. In some instances of savage 
life, little seems to be left to distinguish man 
from ihe beasts which graze around him ; and 
though, in more civilized countries, refinement 
and literature veil some of the coarser features 
of this degradation, how thin is the covering ! 
how often does the obliquity of our nature dis- 
cover itself! how truly sordid are the feelings, 
the desires, the tastes of our unconverted hearts I 
How is each man apt to be swayed by a para- 
mount regard to his own interest ! How many 
are the abject slaves of the basest lusts and pas- 
sions! How few possess the *^ testimony of their 
conscience," that " with simplicity, and godly 
sincerity, they have h^d their conversation in the 



232 tERMON XV. 

world !" How often, in fact, have we occasion, 
in contemplating our own hearts, or the con- 
duct of others, to blush for the creature who was 
originally formed in the image of his God ! 

2. Look, secondly, at the state of corruption and 
depravity to which human nature is fallen. — -It is pos- 
sible, without doubt, to overstate the limits of 
this corruption ; and men thus offend when they 
deny to our fallen nature, in every case, those 
moral qualities which bind man to man, and 
soften so many of the trials of human existence. 
But, even as to the qualities of benevolence, or 
justice, or gratitude, of which the relics are still 
discernible in the mind : in what small quanti- 
ties do they generally exist even in the most fa- 
voured natures ! and in how many, not at all ! 
And then, as to spiritual qualities, how absolute- 
ly extinct are they in the unconverted mind ! 
Where do we find in "the natural man" the 
faith, the zeal, the self-devotion, the holy obedi- 
ence, which we owe to a God and Saviour? 
And should not the want of these qualities, and 
the display of their opposites towards the Fa- 
ther and Saviour of the world, be deemed the 
strongest evidences of corruption ? Would you 
not admit a man to be corrupt who, though he 
had many pleasant and attractive qualities, was 
guilty of the crime of the blackest ingratitude 
and rebellion against a kind and tender Father ? 
And is not he therefore to be considered as de- 
praved, be his powers of pleasing and attraction 
what they may, who insults or even neglects the 
tender Father of the universe, and the bleeding 
Saviour of a guilty world ? But, without dwelling 
exclusively on these spiritual offences of man- 
kind, it may surely be affirmed, that corruption 



REPENTANCE. 233 

is stamped in characters of blood and guilt upon 
almost every corner of the earth. Open what 
page of the history of past ages you will, and 
where do you not find evidences of its existence 
and operation? Survey the field of battle, the 
jail, the scenes of political intrigue or debate ; 
look at that horrible traffic in human flesh, in 
which even this nation till of late participated, 
and in which some of the principal nations of 
Europe are at this moment participating; and 
are we not, however unwilling to calumniate our 
species, obliged continually to exclaim, " that 
the earth is full of the habitations of cruelty," and 
that " all flesh has corrupted its way ?" — " Thou 
hast fallen by thine iniquity." 

3. Consider, thirdly, under this bead, the state 
of suffering to which we have fallen. By some 
the world has been compared to a vast " hospi- 
tal" of disease; and, certainly the comparison is 
in this sense just, that every man is, in fact, a dy- 
ing creature, and carries about with him the seeds 
of his own dissolution. — By others, it has been 
compared to a huge " prison," crowded with 
guilty and afflicted criminals. And, without in- 
sisting upon the accuracy of these comparisons, 
and fully admitting the many circumstances, by 
which the trials of life, in particular circumstan- 
ces, are mitigated ; yet it cannot be questioned 
that sickness, distress, poverty, crime, and death, 
throw a deep and gloomy shade over the path 
of human existence. T/i«/ man, however pros- 
perous his own circumstances, must have little 
sympathy for the circumstances of his species, 
whose heart does not often bleed for the suffer- 
ings of others ; and who is not roused to active 
exertions for their consolation and welfare. One 
2G 



234 SERMON XV. 

Prophet describes the Church under the power- 
ful image of an infant, cast out, deserted, and wel- 
tering in its blood. Another denounces the con- 
duct of those who ''lie on beds of ivory, and 
who chant to the sound of the viol;" but " are 
not grieved for the afflictions" of the creatures of 
God. And how affectingly is the feeling of our 
Lord for the state of human nature described in 
these few w ords, " When he approached the city, 
he wept over it !" 

4. Consider, fourthly, the state of danger and 
condemnation into which w^e are fallen — Look, 
for instance, at the strong bias of the heart to 
evil — ^at the snares of the world, and the tempta- 
tions of the devU. Listen also to the truly awful 
language of Scripture, Ye are " dead in trespass- 
es and sins." As "children of wrath," every 
view of our condition must be inadequate and 
false which does not take into account the fact 
that already, if unpardoned and unconverted, we 
are under the displeasure of the Almighty, and 
liable to eternal punishment. If, therefore, the 
w orld is compared to a dungeon, the unawaken- 
ed sinner may be considered in his present state, 
as a prisoner in the condemned cell. " Thou 
hast fallen by thine iniquity ;" and how tremen- 
dous is the fall ! Thou mayest presume upon a 
conscience as yet unsmitten by any one feeling 
of remorse and alarm; but "thou hast fallen by 
thine iniquity." Thou mayest be basking in the 
full sunshine of health and triumph ; but " thou 
hast fallen by thine iniquity." The voice of the 
world may be following thee with acclamations; 
but " thou hast fallen by thine iniquity." — At 
this instant, and in this congregation, what a dif- 
ferent spectacle may some individuals present to 



REPENTANCE. 235 

the eye of man and to the eye of God ! In the 
eye of man, they may be " rich, and increased 
with goods, and have need of nothing:" in that 
of God, they may be poor, " miserable, and blind, 
and naked." In the eye of man, they may be 
elevated upon the lofty pedestal of honour, and be 
an object of envy ; but in the eye of God they 
may be '* fallen," and fallen to so awful a depth 
that nothing butthe unmeasured powerand grace 
of God can rescue them. They may be as 
" brands," which must be " snatched from the 
burning." Oh, my brethren, endeavour by earn- 
est prayer, by self-examination, by the solemn 
consideration of Scripture, to fasten this awful 
truth upon your inmost soul — that if unpardoned 
and unconverted — if unwashed by the blood of 
Christ, and unsanctified by his Spirit, you, in 
spite of every opposite persuasion on your own 
part, and that of others, are " fallen by your in- 
iquity." — But, let us come to the consideration 
of the next subject, which it was proposed to 
notice. 

II. We are to inquire, secondly, into the duty 

OF MAN UNDER SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES. It appears, 

from the text, as well as from other parts of the 
sacred volume, that our heavenly Father has 
been pleased to give us, in our guilty and lost 
circumstances, certain express directions for re- 
turning to the God from whom we have fallen. 
And the rules here given to the Jews will apply 
to us all. '•'■ O Israel^'''' it is here said, " return unto 
the Lord thy God ! take with you ivords^ and turn to 
the Lord^ and say to him^ Take away all iniquity^ and 
receive us graciously ; so will we render the calves of 
our lips. Asshur shall not save us ,• we ivill not ride 



236 SERMON XY. 

upon horses ; neither will ive say any more to the work 
of our hands^ Ye are our gods.^^ 

1. Ill this passage, the first injunction is, that 
we should '* turn to the Lord.'''' — You have learn- 
ed, I will suppose, your real condition, that at 
present you are '* fallen by iniquity ;" that you 
are far from God ; that you are an alien from his 
family ; that you are sentenced to trials in this 
world, and punishment in the next. If so, then, 
your first duty under Divine grace is to " turn to 
the Lord^"'' You are, through the help of his Spirit, 
and by a strong effort, to " set your face heaven- 
wards." You are not to sit still in your present 
circumstances. You are not to welcome your 
actual condition as an inevitable and unchange- 
able lot. God hath ''devised means" for those 
to return to his favour and presence who have 
so lived as exiles from him. A sinner, even in 
the eleventh hour, has no reason to despair. The 
prodigal, in a far country, and denied the very 
husks of which the swine did eat. did not aban- 
don himself to his miserable condition, but said, 
" I will arise, and go to my father." And such is 
the counsel s^iven in the text to every fallen 
creature. " O Israel^ return unto the Lord ;'''' — " re- 
turn^^'' for you are as yet at an infinite distance 
from heaven and happiness ; — " return," and let 
it be to " Goo?," — to the very house and home of 
your Father. Rest not at any point short of the 
right mark. Rest not in any dubious and equi- 
vocal state, in partial reformation, in a mere ab- 
stinence from gross crime, or the practice of a 
few easy virtues. Rest not till you reach the 
proper resting-place of a guilty soul, the wing of 
eternal mercy, the arms of that Saviour who 
wept for you, who bled for you, who "ever liv- 



REPENTANCE. 237 

eth to make intercession for you," who is ever 
ready to forgive, and " mighty to save :" say, of 
his bosom alone, " This is my rest for ever; here 
will 1 dwell." 

2. You are directed, secondly, in the text, to 
*' take with you words^ and say unto God^ Take away 
all iniquity n and receive us graciously ^ In other 
words, you are to feel that your first business and 
object in the presence of the Lord is to seek, by 
earnest and devout supplication, a release from 
guilt, and wrath, and punishment. And this re- 
lease and pardon you are to seek, not on the 
ground of any merits of your own, but from the 
free and unmerited love of God. '' Receive w.v 
graciously ;" receive us as those who, though deep 
in debt, have nothing to pay ; who, though deep 
in ruin, have '' none to deliver;" who must be 
saved by free and spontaneous mercy, or not at 
all. Every spirit, my Christian brethren, admit- 
ted into the world of glory, is represented as 
overcoming the obstacles which opposed his pro- 
gress thither by "the blood of the Lamb; as 
having the name of their Deliverer stamped on 
their foreheads ; as casting their crowns of tri- 
umph before his throne, saying, " Thou only art 
worthy." And, in like manner, the name of our 
Redeemer must be our passport and title to glo- 
ry. Would to God that every soul in this con- 
gregation carried along with it the unalterable 
conviction, that prayer for mercy at home and 
abroad, in public and in private, is our first and 
most imperative obligation, our highest wisdom, 
the only instrument by which the terrors that 
hang over us were to be conducted innocuous to 
the ground. 1 speak, not merely to one, but all. 
Mercy is the one great overwhelming want of 



238 SERMON XV. 

human nature. The profligate need it. The 
sinner just awakened, and still under the domi- 
nion of his corruptions, needs it. The establish- 
ed Christian, labouring under the burden oi\his 
daily infirmity and remaining corruption, needs 
it. '*0 Israel, thou hath destroyed thyself ! In 
me is thy help found. I will ransom thee from 
the power of the grave. I will redeem thee from 
death. O death, I will be thy plague ; O grave, 
I will be thy destruction.'' Listen, my brethren, 
to these compassionate words; "Turn to this 
strong hold, ye prisoners of hope." Seek par- 
don and repentance through the blood of a Sa- 
viour ; and hear your God saying to you, as to 
th€ petitioner in the text, '* I will heal thy back- 
sliding, 1 will love thee freely, for mine anger is 
turned away." 

3. You are directed, thirdly, in the text, to say 
to God, *' We ivill render the calves of our lips ;" or, 
as the Apostle explains and applies the passage 
in the Epistle to the Hebrews, " the fruit of our 
lips^ giving praise to Him.'' In other words, the 
feelings of heartfelt gratitude and praise are to 
accompany prayer. We forfeit many new bles- 
sings, my brethren, by thanklessness for the past. 
It is one of the heavy charges against the hea- 
then world, " neither were thankful." And how 
much practical heathenism prevails as to this 
point in every state of society ! *• Where are the 
nine .'^" asks our Lord, with regard to the thank- 
less lepers whom he had cured. "Lord," we 
may safely reply, " they are here. Men thank- 
less for thy unmerited mercies abound here, and 
€\ery where, wasting those hours in folly and 
sin which ought to be devoted to Thee." Where, 
where, I would ask, my brethren, are your own 



REPENTANCE. 239 

VOWS made in the chambers of sickness ? where 
are the songs of praise which, perhaps, once 
arose in the midnight hour? where is the tide 
of thankfulness which once ran so strong and 
deep in your daily course ? where are the feel- 
ings of faith and love which once seemed to lift 
you above the troubles of life, and enabled you 
to say, '^ He hath done all things well." It is 
the language of God himself, " O Ephraim, what 
shall I do unto thee.'^ O Judah, what shall I do 
unto thee ? for your goodness is as a morning 
cloud ; and as the early dew it goeth away." 
Lay to heart this caprice and inconstancy. Ap- 
proach your God with the feelings of thankful- 
ness which become you. " Offer to him the sa- 
crifice of praise and thanksgiving." Obey the 
call of the Psalmist ; " O come, let us sing to the 
Lord ; let us come before his presence with 
thanksgiving; let us show ourselves glad in him 
with psalms ; for he is the Lord our God, and we 
are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of 
his hand." 

4. We are instructed, fourthly, in the text, to 
renounce all dependence upon^ and all allegiance to, 
other masters. " Asshur," says the penitent in the 
text, " shall not save us ; we will not ride upon horses^ 
neither will we say any more to the work of our hands^ 
Ye are our gods,'''' The language of thankfulness, 
my brethren, in the real penitent, will not be the 
mere language of the lips. Its sincerity will be 
testified by an abandonment of the paths of sin ; 
by a renunciation of the rebel service of lust and 
passion ; and by a loyal dedication of ourselves 
to God. — Such a change in the direction of our 
affections and our services will uniformly follow 
real conversion. He who has " tasted how gra- 



240 SERMON XV. 

cious the Lord is," will no longer find that which 
will allay the thirst of his soul in the scanty 
" brooks by the way." He will say, " The Lord 
Jehovah is my strength and my song ; therefore, 
with joy will we draw water out of the wells of 
salvation." Can it be conceived that Moses or 
Elias, when, after the enjoyment of ages of glory 
in the world of spirits, they descended on the 
Mount, could have satisfied themselves to aban- 
don the thrones of heaven, and to feed again on 
the husks of the world ? Or would the poor wo- 
man in the Gospel, when restored by the " vir- 
tue which had gone out" of her Lord, have been 
disposed to go back to the physicians on whom 
she had spent all her substance in vain ? It is 
thus with the thankful and rejoicing, though con- 
trite, servant of God. He has^ by the eye of 
faith, been enabled to contemplate the glories 
of his future inheritance ; and his language is, 
''Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in 
peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." 
He has placed his hope in the promises of God, 
and there is a severance of his heart from world- 
ly objects. The cords which used to bind him 
to the low and perishing objects of this world, 
have been broken, and he expatiates with free- 
dom and joy in the vast field of the Divine com- 
passions and love. His language will be, "Thou 
hast loosed my bonds ; 1 will offer Thee the sa- 
crifice of thanksgiving. It is better to trust in 
the Lord than to put any confidence in man. It 
is better to trust in the Lord than to put any 
confidence in princes." 

III. But, in the third and last place, consider 

THE ENCOURaGEMExNT SUGGESTED BY THE TEXT FOR 

THUS TURNING TO GoD.— It is statcd in those ^im- 



REJeENTANCE. '24 1 

pie but beautiful words, " For in Thee the fa- 
therless findeth mercy." This truth is stated iu 
the text as one which does not require any proof, 
but which may be assumed in reasoning upon 
the dispensations and deahngs of God to his 
creatures. And, if this was the case under the 
Jewish dispensation, how much more distinctly 
is the fatherly character of God displayed in the 
Gospel ! " Thou art no more a servant, but a 
Son ;" ye are " heirs of God, joint heirs with 
Christ ;" " ye have received the spirit of adop- 
tion, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Yes, my 
brethren, here is the prominent feature of the 
religion of the Cross. It reveals God as a re- 
conciled Father. It quenches the terrors of the 
Law. It disperses every cloud which oversha- 
dowed the Mercy-seat. The Lord of heaven 
and earth is no longer satisfied to regard you as 
his subjects or his servants. He grants you the 
privilege to approach him as children, to plead 
with him under this tenderest title, to expect 
from him a depth of affection greater even than 
that of a mother towards the darling of her bo- 
som. " Can a woman forget her sucking child, 
that she should not have compassion on the son 
of her womb ? yea^ she may forget^ yet will I not 
forget theeJ^^ O what consolation is here for the 
scattered members of a family from which the 
head is separated — for the children deprived of 
the tender hand which guided, and the eye 
which watched, and the heart which lodged 
them in its deep and safe recesses ! And O 
what consolation for the man cut off by sin from 
God, that he may, though a criminal, and an or- 
phan, though guilty and destitute, turn to God 
as to a Father, and expect in him all the relent- 
2 H 



^ 



24:2 SERMON XV. 

ings of parental compassion, and the movements 
of parental love ! Would to God that every in- 
dividual in this congregation would learn to con- 
template the Lord in this character ! This^ this^ 
my brethren, is genuine religion, to approach 
God as our Father. " God is love ;" and he 
would have his creatures remember, that this is 
his one great and conspicuous attribute — the 
prominent jewel in the crown of the Divine per- 
fections. Shake off, then, your coldness and 
indifference, and your slavish fear, or reluctant 
and niggardly obedience. Your Father calls 
you. One who yearns over you with a parent's 
tenderness bids you come to his bosom, and 
" find rest to your souls." 

I shall conclude this exposition of the text by 
stating some practical lessons which seem to 
arise out of it. 

1. In the first place, I would speak to the in- 
dolent and desponding. — Observe, I beseech you, 
the use made in the text of the low and miserable 
circumstances to ivhich the Israelites had reduced them- 
selves. There is a disposition in many to per- 
vert their past sins, or their present calamities 
on account of sin, to the most mischievous pur- 
poses. And especially does this disposition of 
mind prevail with regard to the great sin and 
calamity of human nature, the fall of man. " We 
are fallen," say some, " and therefore how can 
we hope V " We are fallen," say others, " and 
therefore how can we love and obey ?" But what 
is the language of the text ? " Thou hast fall- 
en ;" and therefore " take with thee words^^'' and 
" turn to the Lord.'*'' In other words, you have 
fallen from God : let it be a motive, not for in- 
dolence or despair, but for seeking the Lord. 



REPENTANCE. 24^ 

and urgently and devoutly pleading with Him 
for pardon and grace, for admission into His 
presence, and conformity to His nature. When 
Joshua and the elders of Israel in a season of 
suffering under Divine displeasure, cast them- 
selves in despair upon the ground, the language 
of God to them vi^as, "• Get thee up : why liest 
thou there upon thy face ?" And such is His 
language to yourselves : " Repent, lest iniquity 
be your ruin." Arise, lest this fall become the 
prelude to a fall more deep, more awful, more 
irremediable ; remember that, however great 
your present calamity or danger, escape is still 
possible. " O Israel, thou hast destroyed thy- 
self, but in me is thy help ;" and therefore, give 
not " sleep to your eyes nor slumber to your 
eyelids," till you have sought and found the de- 
liverance which " Cometh from God only." 

2. In the next place, I would speak to the 
7iominal believer ; and to him, I would say, Ob- 
serve to whom the call of the text is addressed : 
" O Israel^ return unto the Lord." It is therefore 
to " Israel ;" to the people bearing the name of 
the Lord, and professing his religion, this lan- 
guage is addressed. And, my brethren, in our 
own days, it is not merely on the avowed profli- 
gate, or despiser of God, that the necessity of a 
deep, vital, heartfelt repentance, or conversion 
of heart and practice, must be urged. We may 
be far from " sitting in the seat of the scornful." 
We may abhor many of the principles and prac- 
tices which deform and pollute the face of soci- 
ety. We may bear the name of the Saviour, and 
make an outward profession of his religion. But, 
nevertheless, if we are worldly, or indevout, or 
unconscious of our sins, or negligent of the Sa- 



244 SERMON X>. 

viour of sinners, we have the same practical need 
of the doctrine of conversion, even as the profli- 
gate offender. For, in this case, our "hearts 
are not right with God," and we have not that 
^' holiness without which no man shall see the 
Lord." Examine, then, let me beseech you, my 
brethren, the character and extent of your own 
conversion. Beware of stopping short at a 
change which reaches the manners without 
touching the heart ; which cuts off only a few of 
the grosser vices, or imparts only a few of the 
easier virtues; which separates you from the 
profligate without uniting you to God and the 
Redeemer. " O Israel^ return to the Lord thy 
Godr 

3. And, finally, let me speak to the poor cm- 
trite sinner^ who is unable to find any hope or consola- 
lion in the promises oftheGospel — To whom, I again 
ask, was the invitation of the text addressed ? 
Was it not to guilty and afflicted Israel ; to those 
who, whatever name they bear, had, by a long 
series of provocations, brought down the heavy 
wrath of God upon themselves ; to those who 
had sinned against light and conviction, in the 
face of the strongest warnings, and in the midst 
of the highest privileges ? And, even those deep 
and old offenders are directed to draw nigh to 
God, with the conviction, that in Him " the fa- 
therless," the helpless, the destitute, " find mer- 
cy." Take, then, this encouragement to your 
wounded bosoms, you who are prostrate suppli- 
cants at the cross of your Redeemer ; and never 
question the willingness of God to save yon. 
Go to Him, as not merely the Judge of his 
creatures, but the "Father." and the tenderes* 



REPENTANCE. 245 

of all fathers. But, then, while the conviction of 
his love fills you with hope, let it also prompt you 
to watchfulness, to purity of life, and sweetness 
of temper. If it is as children you would be 
saved by Him, it is as children you must love 
and obey Him. " Say no more, therefore, to the 
works of your hands. Ye are our gods." Re- 
nounce every other master for the love and ser- 
vice of the Lord. Abandon the world, that you 
may be installed into the high privileges of the 
children of heaven. Whatever be the disposi- 
tion of others, let your language be, " Come and 
let us join ourselves to the Lord in a covenant 
which shall not be forgotten." Thus, by the 
power of Divine grace, resolve and act ; and the 
promise of God shall be eternally fulfilled to 
you : " I will be a Father to you, and ye shall 
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Al- 
mighty." 



*^ ■^. 



SERMON XVI. 

OUR EARTHLY AND OUR HEAVENLY FATHER CON- 
TRASTED. 



HEB. xii. 9, 10. 

Furthermore^ we have had fathers of our flesh which 
corrected us^ and we gave them reverence ; shall we 
7iot much rather be in subjection to the Father of 
spirits^ and live? For they verily for a few days 
chastened us after their own pleasure^ but He for 
our profit^ that we might be partakers of his holi- 
ness. 

Perhaps there is no duty of which the obliga- 
tion is more universally felt and acknowledged, 
than that of a child to a parent. Indeed, it might 
be thought that none could fail to give to obli- 
gations of this class all their due weight and 
solemnity, who had ever reposed on the sleep- 
less anxiety of a mother's love, lavishing health, 
and strength, and life itself, for the child of her 
bosom. Amongst some of the nations of antiqui- 
ty, the violation of this duty was regarded with 
such abhorrence, that the parent was permitted to 
punish it with death. And, if in some modern 
idolatrous countries, the child is found lighting 
the funeral pile of its widowed mother, or plung- 
ing its decrepid parent into the waves of the sa- 
cred river, it is not so much that filial duty is 
despised, as that a false system of religion has 
prescribed WTong means of discharging that 
duty. In fact, this obligation seems in many in- 



ttUl> OCR FATHER. 247 

Dtances to be regarded where every other is for- 
gotten ; and to be often, as it were, the only 
lower which blooms in the chilly waste of an 
erroneous or corrupt religion. 

But it is not necessary, for the sake of esta- 
blishing the argument of our text, to consider 
the estimation in which this duty is held by 
those beyond the pale of the Gospel. The 
words are addressed to the followers of Christ; 
and to them it may be confidently said. You, 
one and all, entertain a strong persuasion of the 
duty of children to their parents : you, probably 
without a single exception, condemn your own 
neglect of these duties whenever it has occurred ; 
and you as universally require the fulfilment of 
these duties at the hand of your own children. 
The text, then assuming this general law and 
principle both of our nature and our religion, as 
the basis of its argument, says to you, " If such 
is the tribute you both render and claim as the 
duty of a child to its earthly father, " shall we 
not much rather be subject to the Father of 
spirits ? " Is not also the God we serve a Father, 
and a most tender Father ? Does not he him- 
self say, even ot creatures sunk in idolatry, 
" Bring my sons from far, and my daughters from 
the ends of the earth ? " Is it not the language 
of our Lord, " I ascend to my Father and to 
your Father .'^" And does not that disciple who 
lay in the bosom of his Lord, and to whom the 
secrets of his heart were revealed, declare, that 
"to as many as received Christ, to them gave he 
power to become the sons of God. f^" Shall we 
then deny to our Heavenly Father, the tribute 
we so rigorously exact from others ? Shall we 
not say to Him, " Thou art our Father :" " O 



l-i^ SERMO.N XVi. 

take us, body, soul, and all ; for thine we are, 
and thine we desire and love to be ?" 

Such is the substance of the reasoning in the 
verses before us ; but as they enforce this rea- 
soning by a brief statement of the comparative 
claims of our earthly ai%d heavenly Parent ; and as 
the general argument is much strengthened by 
this comparison, it may be desirable for us 
carefully to consider it 

And to this end it may be observed, that the 
text contrasts the claim of a heavenly and an 
earthly Father in four particulars. It adverts, 

I. To THE DIFFERENT SENSE IN WHICH OUR 
HEAVENLY AND OUR EARTHLY PARENT MAY 
BE CONSIDERED AS A FATHER. 
11. To THE DIFFERENT CHARACTER OF THEIR 
DISCIPLINE AND CORRECTION. 

III. To THE DIFFERENT VALUE OP THE GIFTS 
THEY ARE ABLE TO IMPART. 

IV. To THE DIFFERENT DURATION OP THESE 
GIFTS. 

To these four points it is my wish now to call 
your attention ; and may the merciful Father of 
his poor erring creatures prosper our examina- 
tion of them 1 

I. In the first place, the text adverts to the 

DIFFERENT SENSE IN WHICH A HEAVENLY ANB AW 
EARTHLY PARENT MAY BE CONSIDERED AS OUR FA- 
THER. Of the one it says, he "is the father of 
our flesh ;" of the other, he is the " Father of our 
spirits.'^'' Now consider, my brethren, the wide 
distinction implied in these expressions. 

Your earthly parent is the father of your flesh. 
In other words, he is the transmitter of that part 
of man which is merely animal ; which bears the 
least resemblance to God. and the most to the 



CJOl^ OUR J'A'JHEK. 249 

beasts that perish. He is the parent of that body, 
which, in its present fallen and degraded state, 
is called " a vile and corruptible body ;" of that 
body which drags down the soul from its highest 
and noblest pursuits ; which sullies its tastes, im- 
pairs its pleasures, limits its views, cripples its 
movements, which always detains it, and often 
excludes it from eternal glory. He is the pa- 
rent of that body in which are locked up the 
seeds of pain, and weakness, and dissolution ; 
which is the seat of lust and of appetite ; which, 
whenever it rules over the spirit, inflicts spiritual 
and eternal death — " to be carnally minded is 
death" — " I keep under my body, and bring it 
into subjection, lest by any means, when I have 
preached to others, I should myself become a 
cast-away !" 

But God, on the contrary, is called in the text, 
" the Father of our spirits .'" In other words, he 
is the Father of all that distinguishes us from the 
brute which grazes the plain, or wallows in the 
mire ; of all that constitutes us intellectual crea- 
tures — of judgment, imagination, and taste; of 
all that constitutes us religious creatures — of 
every power by which we know God, and love, 
and adore, and obey him ; by which we measure 
the " height and depth" of the love of Christ, and 
welcome a Saviour to an aching heart. *' That 
which is born of the flesh.is flesh; and that which 
is born of the Spirit is spirit !" " There is one 
God and Father of all, who is above all, and 
through all, and in you all." 

Nor is this the only, or even the highest sense, 

in which God is ''the Father of our Spirits.^^ If, 

in the first instance, he formed us from nothing, 

he has since redeemed us from a state infinitelv 

2 f 



250 SERMON XVI. 

worse than nothing — from a state of guilt and 
condemnation, and deep rooted corruption. 
" Thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Ja- 
cob, and formed thee, O Israel ; Fear not, for 1 
have redeemed thee : I have called thee by thy 
name — thou art mine." In like manner, it is said, 
"We are his workmanship, created in Christ 
Jesus unto good works ;" and "if any man be in 
Christ, he is a new creature." " Ye are all the 
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." As 
the Lord, in the vision of his Prophet, breathed 
upon the dead bones, and they lived : so now he 
breathes by the sacred influence of his Spirit on 
those " dead in trespasses and sins ;" and they 
gradually shake off the sloth and sensuality of 
original corruption, and arise " new creatures in 
Christ Jesus." Under this gentle but " con- 
straining" influence — an influence which, how- 
ever independent of man, acts by the medium of 
his rational powers — they draw nigh to God as a 
Father. Under this the blind in heart discover 
the hitherto " unknown God :" the deaf listen to 
the invitations of mercy; the dumb sing the 
praises of their Redeemer ; the captives of sin 
break away from their bonds, and go forth the 
champions of truth, and the benefactors of the 
world. In reference to the change thus wrought 
by the power and grace of our heavenly Fa- 
ther, it is said, " Of his own will begat he us by 
the word of truth, that we should be a kind of 
first-fruit of his creatures. " Ye are born again, 
not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by 
the word of God, which liveth and abideth for 
ever." " Our Father hath loved us, and given 
us everlasting consolation, and good hope 
through grace.'" 



GOJ> OUR FATHER. lij I 

But is this the fact, my Christian brethren ? 
Is the one parent only the Father of your "flesh," 
and the other of your " spirits ?" Then how 
monstrous is it that men alive to the claims of 
the one should be dead to the rights of the other? 
How reasonable is it that God should ask, "If 1 
am a Father, where is mine honour !" How just 
that you should " call on the Father, and pass^ 
the time of your sojourning here in fear !" How 
essential that you should shew yourselves chil- 
dren of God, by the love of his perfections, by 
obedience to his will, by reflecting the brightness 
of his image in the temper and conduct, by dis- 
pensing light and life, and joy, on all around 
you! 

11. The second point to which the text calls 
our attention, is, the contrast between the disci- 
pline AND correction OP A HEAVENLY AND AN EARTH- 
LY PARENT. — This contrast is stated in these few 
words : " TAcy," that is, our earthly parents, 
^^ correct us after their own pleasure, He, for our 
profit:' 

The Scripture, my brethren, is infinitely far 
from encouraging that spirit in the young which 
sometimes disposes them to ascribe all the disci- 
pline of their parents to severity, or contempt of 
their happiness. On the contrary, the Holy 
Volume is full of declarations as to the impor* 
tance and value of parental watchfulness, of ear- 
ly restraint, and of that lofty and self-denying af- 
fection which does not even " spare the rod," 
where it is essential to save the child. Notwith- 
standing, however, these testimonies to the 
value of parental discipline, the word of God by 
no means maintains the unimpeachable wisdom 
and correctness with which this discipline is in 



252 SERMON XVI. 

all cases administered. And surely, in some in- 
stances, it must be admitted that the corrections 
of an earthly parent are disfigured by caprice, 
or irritability ; and that, in others, they spring 
from mistaken views of the character or interests 
of the child. Few are the parents who would 
hesitate themselves to plead guilty to the charges 
of occasional indiscretion and infirmity. Now, 
mark the text, "They, indeed, for their own 
pleasure; but He^for our proJiV In other words, 
however defective the chastisements of our 
earthly parents, those of God have no such de- 
fect. All are adjusted with the nicest regard to 
the circumstances of the individual. All are 
stamped with the bright and broad features of 
tenderness and mercy ; and every sorrow wears 
the aspect, and acts the part, of a messenger dis- 
patched from Heaven, to bring us home to our 
Father's house and bosom. Listen to the testi- 
mony of the servants of God in every age, and 
they will tell you that their various trials have 
served as a sort of dark back ground, on which 
to display to greater advantage the brightness 
of the Divine compassion. " In the multitude of 
my sorrows, thy comforts refreshed my soul.'' 
" In all their afiilictions he was afilicted, and the 
Angel of his Presence saved them." — It is, my 
brethren, when a wound is inflicted too deep for 
any human remedy — when our sorrows perhaps 
drive from our presence the friend of our pros- 
perity—when all within is bitterness, and all 
without desolation — that the Saviour, who wept 
over the grave of Lazarus, takes his stand at 
our side, visits every recess of a broken heart, 
plucks from the heart the " hidden sorrow" and 
breathes into it unutterable peace. " Comfort 
ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God" — " L, 



GOP OUR FATHER. 25^^ 

even 1, am he that comfortethyou" — " I will never 
leave you, nor forsake yon." — It is then^ that al- 
though before, we may have been disposed to 
cry out with Jacob, " All these tilings are against 
me ;" we are constrained to add with him, " He 
is the God who hath fed me all my life long." 
But, if this be true, shall we not, as the children 
of this compassionate God, " be subject to such 
a Father ?" Shall we not bow to his holy will ? 
Shall we not cheerfully endure his chastise- 
ments ? Shall any claims be brought in compe- 
tition with his ? Shall we not say, " One day in 
thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere ?" 
Shall we dispute the equity of the command, 
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine 
heart ;" or wonder at the solemnity of the im- 
precation, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus 
Christ, let him be anathema maranatha" — let 
him be accursed with the heaviest curse ? 
III. But, in the third place, the text adverts 

to the SUPERIORITY OF THE GIFTS CONFERRED BY OUR 
HEAVENLY PaRENT OVER THOSE BESTOWED BY AN 
EARTHLY FATHER. 

Without attempting any general survey of the 
Divine mercies, consider the single benefit re- 
fered to in the text — the " making us partakers of 
his holiness^ What an effect of iiis power and 
tenderness is this ! to restore all the privileges 
forfeited at the Fall — to recast our distorted na- 
ture in the moulds of our original creation — to 
impart to the creature the nature of the Creator 
— id stamp us with his own glorious image — to 
fit us for the society of angels, the presence of 
God, and the glory of heaven ! Contrast with 
this even the best gifts of an earthly parent. 
How little can we accomplish, in most instances. 



2j4 6ERAI0N XVI. 

for the moral benefit of his children ! Look at 
the sons of Jacob, and Eli, and Samuel, and you 
discover at once the limited capacity of every 
earthly parent Like these holy men, any of us, 
alas ! may live to see our children, in spite of 
every eflTort on our own part, at war with God, 
with holiness, and with one another. It may be 
our deplorable lot to see them drag out a miser- 
able existence here, and at length driven by the 
last thunders into the gulf of perdition. How 
wide, therefore, the interval between the weak- 
ness of man and the Omnipotence of God ; be- 
tween the father who can do so little, and the 
Father who can do every thing ! And shall we 
then deny to God the filial homage we require 
for man ? " Shall we not much rather be in sub- 
jection to the Father of spirits ?" Shall we not 
survey the wide field of his bounties, and, disco- 
vering on every side monuments of his power and 
love, surrender ourselves, soul and body, to his 
holy and happy service ? 

IV. But, fourthly, the text adverts to the dif- 
ferent DURATION OP THE BENEFITS CONFERRED BY 
AN HEAVENLY AND AN EARTHLY PARENT. It is Stat- 
ed, for example, of an earthly father, in the text, 
that the benefit of his corrections is but ^'for a 
few days P But, it is asked, with regard to our 
heavenly Parent, " Shall we not be in subjection 
to Him, and live ?" " live^' that is, spiritually, tri- 
umphantly, and for ever. — The best gifts of an 
earthly parent are, indeed, most fugitive and un- 
certain. Consider, for instance, the gift especially 
referred to in the text, that of " /z/e." Confining 
the term even to its lowest sense — to this mere 
morning of existence, how little able is the earth- 
ly parent to perpetuate this gift to the creature 



GOD OUR FATHER. 255 

he so tenderly loves 1 You watch over the in- 
fant couch of your child. You carry it with 
deep anxiety and never-ceasing care through its 
first trembling years. You watch with delight 
its springing energies and powers. Yoti antici- 
pate to-day, the happy moment when you are to 
reap the golden fruits of your vigilance, and toil ; 
and to-morrow, this darling child is a corpse. It 
"Cometh up and is cut down like a flpwer." 
And, even suppose yourself to succeed in rear- 
ing these tender creatures to manhood, and 
that they linger through the brief period assigned 
to fallen man — what can you do for them be- 
yond the grave ? — what through the immeasura- 
ble period which alone deserves the name of 
life ? — what when the hours of this short pilgrim- 
age are over? — what in the hour of death, and 
at the day of judgment? Can your affection 
break through the barriers which surround the 
throne of God, and accompany them to his aw- 
ful tribunal, there to plead for them, or there to 
snatch for them, from the hands of the Judge of 
quick and dead, that life they have so justly for- 
feited ? Can you repeal the sentence of Hea- 
ven ? — Look, my brethren, on the other hand, at 
that gift of" life" which is proflfered by our hea- 
venly Father to his real children : " I give unto 
my sheep eternal life ; and they shall never perish, 
neither shall any pluck them out of my hand." 
The life which he secures to his people is eter- 
nal. It is " an inheritance incorruptible, unde- 
filed, and that fadeth not away, reserved in hea- 
ven for those who are kept by the power of God 
unto salvation. It is as unchangeable as the 
Giver — as that Lord who is " the same yester- 
day, to-day, and for ever." — Here then, if the 



256 SERMON XVI. 

amount of the benefits conferred is to be esteem- 
ed, as in the smallest degree a measure of the 
homage and gratitude due to the benefactor, is 
another reason why the claims of an heavenly 
and an earthly Father should not for a moment 
be brought into comparison. The gifts of man 
are as " the grass which to-day is, and to-mor- 
row is cast into the oven :" the gifts of God " en- 
dure for ever." His benefits are ever young, and 
fresh, and bright, and abiding. " 1 will make an 
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure 
mercies of David." — If then, my brethren, you 
expect reverence from your own children, if you 
insist on their confidence under the most trying 
and ambiguous circumstances, '' shall we not 
much rather be in subjection to the Father of 
spirits, and live ?" Is it just that we should ask 
so much for ourselves and yield so little to him } 
Shall we not apply the same principles in both 
cases ? Shall we not renounce with abhorrence 
every thing like coldness and indifference in re- 
ligion, and approach the tenderest of all parents 
in the spirit of the most loving of all children.'' 
Shall we not, even in the worst and most par- 
alyzing circumstances, adopt the language of a 
fellow-sufferer : " Although the fig-tree shall not 
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the 
labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall 
yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the 
fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls : 
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the 
God of my salvation ?" Shall we not say, " It is 
the Lord ;" it is my Father ; " let him do what 
seemeth him good ?" 

It is mv wish to close this discourse with somr 



tJUD OUK FATHEK. 2^T 

practical observafmis suggested to us by the lan- 
guage of the text. 

1. And in the first place with how clear j and 
definite^ and delightful a vieio of religion does the 
text supply us! You are here directed to ap- 
proach God as a " Father.^'^ And what system 
of theology, let me ask, however exact and labo- 
rious, presents us with a view of religion at once 
so simple, complete, and encouraging, as that 
supplied by this single expression ? Real reli- 
gion, my Christian brethren, is simply the re- 
verence and affection of a child to a tender and holy 
father. Examine the history and progress of reli- 
gion in your own souls ; and you will find that 
the change which has so strengthened its pow- 
er, enlarged its authority, and enhanced its 
value to yourself, is precisely this, that whereas 
you did regard God as a mere Judge, or Gover- 
nor, you do regard Him as a '* Father," a Sa- 
viour, and a Friend. Whilst the former impres- 
sion remained ; whilst you considered the Di- 
vine Being chiefly as the stern Guardian of his 
own rights, and the interrupter of your happi- 
ness, how cold and reluctant was the homage 
you rendered him ! But no sooner was the veil 
rent between heaven and earth, and you discov- 
ered in the Judge of quick and dead, also the 
Father and Friend of the miserable and guilty, 
than your heart melted ; you exchanged awe for 
love, and you sought in His bosom the happiness 
you had before sought in the follies or vices of 
life. Let me call upon you to act more de- 
cisively upon this view of religion. God is 
your " Father." Serve him then as a fond and 
dutiful child. " Be followers of God as dear chiU 
dreny " As obedient children^ be holv in all man- 
2 K 



268 SERMON XVI. 

ner of conversation." Satisfy yourself with no 
standard of religion which falls short of the re- 
signation, the uncalculating love, the implicit 
trust, the spontaneous and delighted obedience 
of children to a kind parent. " Ye are no longer 
under the law, but under grace." Ye are " heirs 
of God, and joint heirs of Christ." Approach 
God as your Father. Repose in him as a Fa- 
ther. Love him as your Father. Desire his pre- 
sence. Mourn over his anger. Live upon his 
approbation. Say to him, " Whom have I in 
heaven beside thee, and there is none upon 
earth that I desire in comparison of thee .'^" " My 
heart and my flesh faileth; but God is the 
strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." 
2. But, in the second place, I would remind 
parents^ that as the relation of a child to a fathdr 
may to a certain extent teach us our duties to 
God, so the dispensations and dealings of God^ as a 
Father will instruct us in our duties to our children. 
The sytems of parental duty struck out by the in- 
genuity of human writers, are very numerous ; 
and some of them, it is to be feared, little wor- 
thy the reputation they have enjoyed. Allow me 
then, to say, that the principle of parental gov- 
ernment suggested by the text, may be usefully 
substituted even for the best of these systems. 
It is simply this — you are to deal with your children 
as God deals with you. Contemplate then, as a 
study, for the administration of your own family, 
the character of the dispensations of your hea- 
venly Father. Is tenderness, for instance, the 
predominate feature of his government ? Let it 
predominate in yours. Does our heavenly Fa- 
ther, with mercy, mingle salutary corrections ? 
Let your tenderness be guarded with gentle and 



GOD OUR FATHEK. 259 

wise restraints. Does he attach pain and plea- 
sure respectively to holiness and vice ? Let the 
same nice discrimination be visible in your do- 
mestic economy. Is it a principle of his paren- 
tal adminstration to sacrifice the present to the 
future? Let that grand principle prevail in 
your choice of schools, of society, and of em- 
ployment for your children. Discipline them 
for eternity ! Consider them as a precious depo- 
sit in your hands from the Great Author of your 
being, and of theirs. Grieve not the spirits who 
" rejoice over one sinner that repenteth," by the 
spectacle of a young creature destined for the 
" house of many mansions," for adoption into the 
family of God here, and the enjoyment of God 
and his Redeemer for ever, robbed of his high 
destiny; degraded from his eminency in the 
scale of moral being by an education which fits 
him only to sport his unprofitable moment in a 
fallen world, and then sink hopeless and help- 
less into the awfiil gulf of perdition ! Pray and 
labour to govern your children as God has go- 
verned yourself. Love them as he loved you. 
Liye like the "Captain of your salvation," to be 
the happy instrument of " bringing many sons to 
glory" — of presenting them at his Throne of Mer- 
cy, and saying with holy assurance, " Behold, I 
and the children whom thou hast given me !" 
3. Finally, I must be permitted to speak to the 
young persons by whom I am surrounded. — The 
argument, in the earliest part of this discourse, 
may have appeared to some careless observers, 
in raising our conception of the duties owing to 
our heavenly Father, to lower the conception 
of those due to our earthly parents. If this is 
the ease, let me not lose a moment in correct- 



:^tiO SERMON XVI. 

ing so fatal an error. Every part of Scripture 
inculcates these duties as of imperious necessi- 
ty. And let no child imagine for an instant that 
there can be the smallest approach to genuine 
religion in a heart refusing one of the most ob- 
vious, just, natural, and powerful of all claims 
upon it. If you love not the parent " whom you 
have seen," and to whom your debts are as 
many as the hours of your existence, how can 
you love the Parent whom "you have not 
seen .'*" — But I will not so insult the heart or un- 
derstanding of any one of my hearers, as to 
imagine that you dispute the rights of the bosom 
from which you have drawn life, and subsis- 
tence, and hope, and joy. My wish is rather to 
prescribe to you from the text the means of satis- 
fying those claims^ to give you a simple but full 
and satisfactory rule of filial duty. And it is 
this — Consider as a model for your duties to your 
parent 07i earthy the duties required in Scripture 
towards your Father in heaven. Points there cer- 
tainly are, in which this parallel is not com- 
plete. But this particular view of filial duty 
may, I humbly conceive, serve many important 
purposes— may assist to clear up many doubtful 
points — deepen the sense of filial obligation — 
and, at least, rescue us, where excess is so 
difficult, from those palpable defects of conduct 
which are so disgraceful to religion, so injurious 
to domestic happiness, and so ruinous to the 
soul. May God bless you, my young friends, in 
your pious and dutiful endeavours to discharge 
these tender, and delightful, and sacred obliga*' 
tions ! May that compassionate Saviour, who 
took the young in his arms, fold you also to his 
bosom ! May " his word dwell in you richly 



buURCE OF THE CHRISTIANAS JOY. 261 

with all wisdom !" May the Spirit of the Lord 
teach, and guide, and sanctify you ! May you 
be enabled to lay the basis of love to your pa- 
rents in love to your Redeemer ! May you be 
permitted to pay back some small measure of 
the blessings which you owe to the authors of 
your existence ! and may the declaration of a 
compassionate God be fulfilled to every member 
of this congregation, " 1 will be a Father to you, 
and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the 
Lord Almighty!" 



SERMON XVir. 

THE TESTIMONIES OF GOD THE JOY OF THE 
HEART, 

PSAL. cxixlll. 

Thy testimonies have I claimed as mine heritage for 
ever ; and why ? they are the very joy of my hearts 

All the sacred writers, in their turn, do ho- 
mage to the word of God. Every impression, 
image, and argument, is anxiously sought out by 
them, by which they may best proclaim their 
high sense of its value. And, as might be ex- 
pected, the harp of the son of Jesse is not silent 
amidst this chorus of praise. In a large propor- 
tion of the Psalms, more than one expression is 
found indicative of his admiration and gratitude 
for the Volume of Eternal Truth. And, as 
though this casual and limited declaration of hi«? 



262 SERMON XVll. 

regard were not sufficient, the whole of the il9th 
Psalm, by far the longest in the series of sacred 
songs, is dedicated exclusively to this object. 
Every additional verse may be regarded as the 
fruit of a new and stronger eflfort to celebrate 
the honours of this charter of our hopes and 
joys. If, in the other Psalms, we have here 
and there a scattered memorial of its worth ; 
we have, in this, as it were, a whole temple 
dedicated to its glory. 

It is my wish, on the present occasion, to exa- 
mine, in dependence upon the Divine blessing, 
only one of the expressions of admiration and 
gratitude contained in this Psalm ; and, in so 
doing, to consider, 

I. The title by which the Psalmist here 

DESIGNATES THE WORD OF GoD. 

II. The LANGUAGE IN WHICH Hfi CLAIMS THE 

TESTIMONIES OP GoD AS HIS OWN ; and, 

III. The REASON which he ASSIGNS FOR THUS 
CLAIMING THEM. 

I. We are to consider, in the first place, the 
title by which the Psalmist here describes the 
word of God. " Thy testimonies*^'* he says, " have 
I claimed as mine heritage for ever." 

The word testimonies is employed in different 
senses in Scripture. It is sometimes used for the 
tables of stone brought down from the mount by 
Moses, because these tables contained the " tes- 
timony" to the covenant then established between 
God and his people. It is sometimes, in like 
manner, applied to the Gospel^ which " testifies" 
of the will of God under the new covenant; as 
where St. Paul says, " I came declaring unto you 
the testimony of God." But it is more commonly 
applied to the whole of Scripture : as to that Book 



SOURCE OF THE CHRISTIAN'S JOY. 263 

which bears testimony to all which God requires 
to be believed^ practised^ and expected^ by bis crea- 
tures, — as where David says, " The testimony 
of the Lord is pure, making wise the simple." 
And this is the sense in which the expression 
appears to be employed in the text. The 
Psalmist may be considered as referring not 
merely to one page or part of the Sacred Vo- 
lume, but to all ; not to the promises without the 
precepts, or the precepts without the promises, 
but to all that God has revealed for the instruc- 
tion, comfort, and sanctification of his creatures. 
And no expression can I conceive at once more 
briefly and emphatically designate the word of 
God. It is simply the testimony of God to a pe- 
rishing world. It is the Book in which the Judge 
of heaven and earth bears evidence to the truths 
which fix the duties of men here, and their des- 
tiny through all eternity. 

And what other testimony, my Christian bre- 
thren, can be brought into comparison with this ? 

Every other is inaccurate. This, on the con- 
trary, is " truth without any mixture of error." 
" The law of the Lord is perfect^ converting the 
soul." 

Every other \s defective ; touching only a few 
points, and upon those imperfectly. T-he word 
of God, on the contrary, is complete, touching 
on all essential subjects, and noticing every es- 
sential part of these subjects. " The command- 
ment of the Lord," it is said, " is exceeding 
broadr 

Every other testimony is blotted by the infir- 
mities or corruptions of human nature. This, 
on the contrary, is pure as the Mind of which 
1^ is the visible representation. The "com 



2b4 i£RMON XML. 

mandment" of the Lord is said to be " holy, just, 
and good." 

Every other testimony is valuable only as it 
corresponds with this ; as it is the exact echo of 
the voice of inspiration This^ on the other hand, 
is in itself " the engrafted word tvhich is able to 
save the soul." 

Every other testimony, though even it enter 
on the points of highest importance in the eyes 
of the vrorld, is, after all, confined to topics compar- 
aiively low, trifling, and sordid But how glorious 
are the objects on which the word of God fixes 
the eye of the examiner. " It is high as the hea- 
ven; what canst thou do? it is deeper than hell; 
what canst thou know ?" To the " wisdom" 
promulgated in this volume, that magnificent lan- 
guage belongs : " I was set up from everlasting : 
when there were no depths I was brought forth ; 
I was by him, as one brought up with him ; I 
was daily his delight, rejoicing always before 
him." And the word of God abundantly vindicates 
its claims to this lofty commendation. It is there 
that God opens up the mine of unsearchable 
riches, and displays the treasures of wisdom and 
knowledge to his church. It is there that he 
testifies to the truths and facts which human 
reason had never been able to discover ; to all 
the mysteries involved in the state of man, and 
in the manner of his redemption. There we 
have especially the " testimony of Jesus," which 
is " the spirit of prophecy." There the Holy Spirit 
" takes of the things of Christ," to " show them to 
the soul." There the glories of an invisible 
world are displayed. There we are permitted 
to see things which " prophets and kings desired 
to see. and were not able." and which angels 



SOURCE OF THE CHRISTIANAS JOY. 265 

Stoop down to admire. — But is this statement 
just, my brethren ; and are the " testimonies^'' lock- 
ed up in the Scriptures thus valuable ? Then 
how just is it, also, that prophets and apostles 
and saints and martyrs should concur to cele- 
brate the honours of the Sacred Volume ! how 
just is it that David should consecrate a whole 
psalm to its glory ; how just, that every man 
should endeavour to make the treasures of this 

precious volume his own ! And this leads me 

to our second point of inquiry — 

11. The language in which the psalmist claims 
THESE testimonies AS HIS OWN. " Thy testimonies^'' 
he says, " have I claimed as mine heritage for ever,'''* 
Observe the force of these several expressions. 

1 . " Thy testimonies," he says, " have / c/am- 
erf." — There might be lodged, my brethren, be- 
neath the pavement of the sacred edifice in which 
we are assembled, a countless treasure ; but of 
what value is that treasure to you, or to me, un- 
less we have sought it out, established our right 
to it, and taken possession of it as our own ? 
There may be lodged in the bosom of the phy- 
sician the most complete remedy for our parti- 
cular disease ; but his knowledge is of no use 
to us, till we have availed ourselves of his re- 
sources and skill It is thus also in religion^ 
The promises of Christ are in themselves " the 
pearl of great price ;" and they are freely and 
bountifully offered to all the creatures of God : 
" whosoever will, let him drink of the water of 
life, freely." But these promises are but an 
empty sound to the man who has not by faith ap- 
proached the Saviour to profit from his bounty. 
It is not enough to take our stand by the trea- 
sure of the Gospel ; to acknowledge it to be pre- 
2 T. 



2643 SERMON XVII. 

cious beyond all price and calculation : or even 
to employ the loudest and noblest language to 
celebrate its worth. The essential step is to 
come out from the crowd of negligent and un- 
awakened bystanders : to produce our title to it, 
and lay claim to all the blessings and privileges 
it is calculated to convey. Nor am I stating this 
upon mere hypothesis. Scripture calls for this 
approach to God. " I will be inquired of by the 
house of Israel" — " draw nigh unto God." And 
every man, who is seriously interested in religion, 
is conscious of an act of his mind, by which, un- 
der the power of his God, he has disengaged 
himself from other pursuits to surrender himself 
to this ; by which he has forsaken " the cisterns 
that hold no water," to search out for himself the 
" fountains of living water." And the result of 
this search is, that he is no longer a Christian by 
mere prescription, or inheritance, or accident, or 
authority; but a Christian upon principle, a 
Christian in conscience, a Christian in heart; 
and is able, in the spirit of the men of Samaria, 
after they had themselves personally communi- 
cated with the Saviour, to say, " Now we believe, 
not because of thy saying; for we have seen him 
ourselves, and know that this is indeed the 
Christ, the Son of the living God." 

2. The Psalmist then adds, with regard to 
these testimonies, " I have claimed them as my 
heritage^ — The expression has probably a refer- 
ence to the heritage, or inheritance, assigned by 
God himself to his people in the land of Canaan. 
The Psalmist, it would appear, considered the 
various blessings offered in the book of God, as, 
like the hills and valleys of that land of rest, the 
portion appointed and bestowed by the sponta- 



lieous goodness and bounty of his Heavenly Fa- 
ther. To the Christian worshipper, the word 
" heritage^'' suggests still more tender and de- 
lightful recollections. The privileges and bless- 
ings of the Gospel are to be considered as a pro- 
perty inherited through the voluntary death of 
the Redeemer of sinners. The " testament," 
the documentary title contained in the word of 
God, to all the present peace and future joys of 
the Gospel, is said to be purchased by the " death 
of the Testator;^'' and we are called " heirs of 
God, and joint-heirs with Christ." 

And it is as ^gift thus dearly bought and free- 
ly bestowed upon the guilty, that the Christian 
delights to contemplate all the temporal and %\ 
spiritual blessings offered to him in the word of 
God. There are those, indeed, who conceive 
that the value of our privileges is lessened by 
the persuasion that they are not the wages of 
our own desert, but the spontaneous gift of God. 
But such views are not founded, 1 conceive, 
upon just conceptions of human nature. To 
what part of your earthly possession, I would 
ask, do you especially turn with a delighted eye 
and heart } Is it not to that which is the pre- 
cious gift of some friend whom you fondly loved, 
and who is now removed beyond the reach of 
your tenderness and care? Is it not, perhaps, 
to some homely volume on the glittering shelf, 
which assures us at least of the living or dying- 
regard of the giver ; which reminds us, when- 
ever the eye rests upon it, of some scene of fa- 
miliar intercourse, of domestic love, of unreserv- 
ed sympathy and affection.'* And the same 
mode of reasoning will apply to spiritual gifts 
and privileges. Whatever be the extent of their 



ll6o sERMO.N XVII. 

intrinsic value, it is immeasurably enhanced hy 
the persuasion that all are the gift of a Father 
and a Friend; that his love is bound up with 
them; that they are a sort of visible symbol of 
his affection, a pledge and earnest of all the glo- 
ries of his kingdom. Such a feeling will give a 
costliness to the meanest possession. And it 
w ill ever be among the most delightful occupa- 
tions to a Christian mind, to take its stand in the 
world as in a vast store-house of the bounties of 
God; to look at every possession as his free gift; 
to trace every mercy to his tender hand; to con- 
sider every ray which shines upon the paths of 
life as a ray of his essential brightness ; and 
every stream which waters it, as a stream from 
the living fountain of his compassion. " Thy 
testimonies have I claimed as mine heritage^ 

3. But, again ; the Psalmist says in the text 
^' Thy testimonies have 1 claimed as mine heri- 
tage/or ct'er." The heritage of God is an eternal 
inheritance : and it is in their reference to eter- 
nity that the servant of God chiefly regards the 
promises of his Heavenly Father. In this world, 
he is, at best, but the stranger of a moment. But 
he has a home, " a house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens." And if, for a time, 
when all the prospects of life were bright and 
cheering, he has been tempted here to pitch his 
tent, and here to expect the enjoyments of a 
Fathers house; the storms of life have soon 
swept over the plain, carried away his flimsy 
dwelling, and driven him out as a wanderer and 
a fugitive. Disease, or disappointment, or cala- 
mity, has taught him the necessity of building the 
house of his comforts firmer and higher. What 
we evidently need, mv Christian brethren, is a 



SOURCE OF THE CHRISTIAN'S JOY. 26^ 

world that will last — a heritage which is sometliing 
more than the dew on the grass, or the cloud of 
the morning. And of such a heritage, need I 
say, there are no traces or records but in the 
testimonies of God ? Change and decay are 
stamped on every thhig else around us. Every 
other happiness withers, like the gourd of Jonah, 
in a night. Every other possession abandons us, 
or we abandon it. Like the proud monarch of 
Babylon, the man a king to-day, may be an idiot 
or an outcast to-morrow. Like Herod, the idol 
of the multitude at one moment, may in another 
be food for worms. Of God alone, as a Friend 
and Saviour, can it be said, " The everlasting 
God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the 
earth, fainteth not, neither is weary ;" and of his 
kingdom alone, " It is an everlasting kingdom,'' 
" a dominion that endureth through all genera- 
tions." Oh, would to God that every man among 
us might rise from his place this day convinced 
that his own anxious pursuit of any thing, in this 
world, is like the feverish longing of the patient 
in that disorder in which the mariner fancies 
that he discovers beneath the waves enamelled 
meads and living fountains, and plunges into the 
devouring waters, and is seen no more. 

III. But, finally, consider the reason stated 

BY the psalmist IN THE TEXT FOR THUS CLAIMING 
THE TESTIMONIES OF GoD AS HIS OWN. " I haVC 

claimed them," he says, " as my heritage : and 
why ? they are the very joy of my hearth 

In the first stages of religion, my Christian 
brethren, fear is apt to predominate over every 
other feeling and passion of the mind, because, in 
that state, the sinner often discovers his danger, 
without becoming acquainted with his Deliverer: 



2/U SERMON XVII. 

he feels his chains, without seeing the " Angel 
of the covenant," by whom thej are to be broken. 
But, after a time, he makes such large and bright 
discoveries of the goodness and love of God, that 
by degrees his bonds fall from him, and he ex- 
changes trembling for hope, and disquietude for 
peace and joy. There is, indeed, a salutary fear 
of offending the God he loves, which accompa- 
nies him through every stage of life. But this is 
as distinct from the fear by which he was once 
disquieted, as the terror of the slave is from the 
tender anxiety of the child. That slavish terror 
is gone for ever. The V^oice which said to the 
waves " be still," has spoken peace to his dis- 
tracted soul. This change, however modified 
and various as to some particulars in the case of 
different individuals, is universal in the real ser- 
vants of God. " Love," by degrees, " casteth 
out fear." So that although, if asked, at one 
point of their history, " Why do you cleave to 
the testimonies of God ?" they might, perhaps 
have been compelled to answer, 'Chiefly be- 
cause they are the terror of our hearts;' they 
will, in a more advanced stage, assuredly re- 
ply, " Because they are the very joy of our 
heart." 

If, therefore, there is an individual amongst 
us, who, laying aside all reference to eternity, 
determines to try the Gospel only by its present 
fruits, — by the addition it makes to our daily 
comforts — though all decisions formed on such 
evidence must be inaccurate — yet, for the sake 
of argument, we are willing to meet that deluded 
person on his own ground. We will forget, for 
a moment, that we are any thing more than ten- 
ants for a few anxious years in this vale of tears. 



SOURCE OF THE christian's JOY. 271 

We will draw a veil over the world to come, with 
all its rest and glorj, its songs and its triumphs, 
the joys of perpetual intercourse with the Mas- 
ter we love and long to see. And, having thus 
darkened all the glories of eternity, 1 would say 
to our opponents. Shew us, if you are able, any 
thing which, like the testimonies of God, can 
thus, even in this present worlds become substan- 
tially and invariably " the very joy of the heart." 
Shew us those of your pleasures which can im- 
part the same happiness with that of the simple 
and affectionate servant of the Lord. Shew us 
any tree of this life, from which you can gather 
fruit as large, as abundant, as satisfying, as ours. 
Shew us any waters as still, and pastures as 
green. In the absence of all reply to these 
questions, is not the Christian entitled to say, 
'^ Their rock is not as our Rock, our enemies 
themselves being the witness ?" 

But I come now to notice some of the practical 
conclusions which follow from these considera- 
tions. 

And, first, I would address myself to the care- 
less and worldly ; and to them I would say, If 
the preference for the testimonies of God, for 
his promises, and for all the blessed fruits of 
these promises, be the only genuine wisdom ; if 
the choice of David in the text be the choice 
which thus approves itself to the understanding, 
as well as to the will and word of God ; then 
how destructive must he the choice made by large mul- 
titudes in society! The principle, which is the 
foundation of this choice of the Psalmist, is that 
so earnestly enforced by our Lord himself, 
" Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his 
righteousness." On the contrary, the unvary- 



272 SERMON XVII. 

ing rule and principle of multitudes in society is, 
' Seek iSrst the world, and the things of the world, 
and leave the things of God and eternity to fol- 
low as they will.' is this statement thought too 
strong ? 1 ask, what other will meet the case of 
those habitually surrendering any known duty, 
or committing any known sin, for the sake of 
worldly interest, worldly honour, worldly grati- 
fication ? — And here, my brethren, allow me to 
notice a misapprehension which is apt to pre- 
vail on the subject. Some, who listen to the 
discourses of the ministers of religion, are apt to 
conclude that they are merely combating for 
some favourite tenet, for some disputable or ob- 
scure point, on which perhaps those very minis- 
ters scarcely bestow a solitary thought. Cor- 
rect, my Christian brethren, your estimate of our 
views and intentions. We have higher, mighti- 
er, more substantial, more essential truths and 
objects to press upon your consciences. Our de- 
sire is simply this,-^— to detach your hearts from 
the world, and to fix them upon God. Our anxie- 
ty is, — that you should quit the broad path of 
sensuality, or ambition, or folly, to take your 
stand at the foot of the Cross ; should " look not 
at the things which are seen and are temporal^" 
but at the '• things which are unseen and eter- 
nal ;" that you should labour no longer for the 
" bread which perisheth," but for " that which 
endureth unto eternal life." True it is, that no- 
thing but a hearty and practical reception of the 
great truths of the Gospel — nothing but the love 
of a crucified Saviour wrought into the soul, will 
ever thus wean you from sin, will ever " crucify 
the world to you, and you to the world." But. 
unless the professed love of the Saviour is fol- 



SOURCK OF THE CHRISTIAN'S JOY. 273 

lowed by this death to sin and to the world, it is 
worthless in the sight of God. Unless jour 
worldly desires, and tastes, and passions, are 
gradually nailed to the cross — unless they are 
" crucified with Him" who hangs there ; the 
cross is to you of none effect, and none of the 
benefits bought by the blood of Christ will, with- 
out a change, be finally yours. The duty, then, 
to \yhich I would wish especially to call you, is, 
to live for God and for eternity. Use this world 
as a mere stepping-stone to another and a bet- 
ter. Use it as the mere field where the conflict 
for heaven is to be fought. Throw from you 
every thing which fastens you to earth, and de- 
tains you from glory. Quit the world, ere it 
quits you. Endeavour to live in a state in which, 
when the signal is given, you may, without change 
of plan or distraction of spirit, calmly, hopefully, 
joyfully, break from your earthly bonds, and 
spread your wings, and " flee away and be at 
rest." 

2. And finally, my brethren, let the text sup- 
ply you with a simple and Brief reply to all the objec- 
tors against your principles and conduct as a devout 
servant of God. You may be a man unskilled to 
meet the subtle reasonings of the wise of this 
world. Strive, then, by the Spirit of God, to at- 
tain to a state in which you may give this simple 
and all-suflicient reply, to those who ask you the 
ground of your principles and conduct, ' l\ey 
are the very joy of my heart.'' Do they ask, for in- 
stance, ' Why do you dwell thus intensely and 
constantly on the doctrines of grace, the merits 
of a Saviour, the influence of the Spirit, the full 
and free redemption wrought out for a ruined 
world ?' answer them, ' These doctrines are the very 
2 M 



274 SERMON XVII. 

joy of my heart.'' Do they ask, ' Why renounce 
the dissipation of life for the joys of religion ?' 
answer them, ' They are the very joy of my heart.'' 
' Why do you keep the Sabbath so devoutly ? 
why read the Bible so eagerly ? why pray with 
such holy importunity ? why so constant at the 
sacrament ? why so anxiously seek the society 
of holy and good men ? why " deny yourself, 
and take up the cross ?" why choose your por- 
tion with the people of God? why seek mainly 
what others neglect, and practise what others 
avoid ?' answer them, ' '' The testimonies of God 
have I chosen as my heritage for ever ;" and if 
you ask, " why ?" " they are the very joy of my 
hearty ' May they be your joy, my brethren, in 
time and in eternity ! May this heritage be yours, 
in all its width and depth, and breadth and 
height ! May you be enriched with the unfa- 
thomable riches of the grace of God ! May the 
great Advocate, who has purchased you a title 
to glory, put the key of the heavenly treasurer 
into your hands ! May He give you that cove- 
nant of hope and joy which he has sealed with 
his own blood ! May the " God of hope fill you 
with all joy and peace in believing !*' May you 
be enabled, amidst the tempests and trials of the 
world, " to possess your souls in patience ;" 
and, though now you " see not" the Son of God, 
yet, " believing,*' may you " rejoice with joy 
unspeakable and full of glory !*' 



SERMON XVIIL 

THE CHRISTIAN ENCOURAGED UNDER AFFLIC- 
TION BY A CONSIDERATION OF ITS FINAL CON 
SEQUENCES- 

HEB. xii. 11—13. 

J^ow no chastening for the present seemeth io he joy- 
ous^ but grievous : nevertheless^ afterward it yieJdeth 
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which 
are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands 
which hang down, and the feeble knees : and make 
straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lam£ 
he turned out of the way ; hut let it rather be healed. 

It has been observed, that no artist of real 
skill, in framing to himself from Scripture a con- 
ception of the countenance of our blessed Re- 
deemer, has been led to represent him with fea- 
tures indicating any thing of extravagance or 
excess. The portraits, indeed, which have been 
presented to us, of some of the self-torturing or 
self-displaying pretenders to religion, have been 
stamped with these characters; but not so that 
of the meek and lowly Master they profess to 
serve. And in this point of view, how entirely 
does the religion of the blessed Jesus harmonize 
with his character and image ! One of its grand 
peculiarities is its complete moderation. Manv 
of the systems of human philosophy are in the 
highest degree extravagant ; paying not the 
smallest resjard either to the cirrnmstances or 



:iv6 SERMON XVllI. 

the capacities of the creature for whom they 
are framed. A celebrated sect of antiquity, for 
instance, laid down, as the fundamental princi- 
ple of its creed, the doctrine that " pain is no 
evil ;" that affliction is no affliction ; that a man, 
in order to subdue his grief, has nothing to do 
but to remember that it is not grief How wide 
of all such extravagance is the Gospel ; and how 
tenderly considerate of the real frame and in- 
firmity of our nature! This merciful religion 
does not insult the mourner with the intelligence 
that the affliction which rends his heart is no 
affliction. On the contrary, the reality of the 
evil under which he suffers is fully admitted; 
and he is directed for consolation, not to a view 
of sorrow which his feelings contradict, but to 
a view of the tendencies and effects of sorrow, the 
truth of which no devout mind will be inclined 
to dispute — tendencies and effects which he who 
experiences forgets the " heat and the burden 
of the day" of trial, in the season of repose and 
enjoyment by which it is followed. 

Such is the general lesson designed to be con- 
veyed to the afflicted servants of God in the text. 
But a more accurate examination of its several 
expressions will serve, I conceive, more fully to 
iUustrate this important feature in the religion of 
our compassionate Redeemer. And may He be 
present to bless our inquiry ! 

It will be my object to consider, 

I. The admission in the text with regard to 

AFFLICTION ; 

H. The statement with regard to its real 

NATURE AND CONSEQUENCES ; and, 

III. The command founded upon this state- 



BENEFITS OF AFFLICTlOxN. 2/ / 

j. In the first place, we are to consider the 

AIXMISSIO^ IN THE TEXT AS TO THE PRESENT BURDEN 

OF AFFLICTION. " JVo chastenmg^^'^ it is here said, 
^'for the present^ seemeth to be joyous.^ but grievousJ*^ 
These, words, mj Christian brethren, obvious- 
ly involve the admission, that sorrow in the ab- 
stract — in its actings upon the mind ; in itself, and 
without any view to its final consequences — is an 
evil And this is affirmed, not only of one species 
of affliction, but of all : "' JVo chastening for the 
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous." 
Let pretended philosophers describe it as they 
will, affliction in its nature is both calculated 
and designed to lacerate the mind. How far is 
the language of Scripture from encouraging the 
notion that affliction is no evil ! Job felt his af- 
fliction when he said, " The arrows of the Lord 
are within me;" David, when he exclaimed, 
" My bones are out of joint;" Peter, when " he 
went out, and wept bitterly ;" and even our Lord 
himself, when he " wept" over the grave of La- 
zarus, and the guilty seat of Jerusalem. Indeed, 
an insensibility to pain under the visitations of 
God, far from having the warrant of Scripture, 
is uniformly spoken of as a crime. " I have 
smitten them," it is said, "and they ivere not griev- 

edr 

If it be asked, to ivhat extent is sorrow allowable 
in a true servant of God? it may be answered that 
' — not only is he authorized, as we have seen, to 
feel the pangs of affliction, but to express his feel- 
ings to God : " My God, my God, why hast thou* 
forsaken me !" Still further, it is allowed him 
to express them to his fellow-creatures: "Have 
pity upon me^ my friends, for the hand of God 
hath touched me." And still farther, he may 



27 ci SKRMON XVllI. 

submissively cry aloud for deliverance : '• Remove 
thy stroke from me, for I am even consumed by 
(hy hand :" " If it be possible, let this cup pass 
from me." — We are not stones, my Christian 
brethren, but men ; and therefore God expects 
not apathy, but resignation; not insensibility, 
but patient endurance of his blessed will ; not 
the extinction of the passions, but, as it has been 
said, the " laying on them the golden bridle of 
Christian moderation." 

Again : if it be asked, " when does this sense of 
sorrow become excessive .^" I answer, when it with- 
draws the heart from God ; when it drives us from 
the path of ordinary duty; when it destroys our 
enjoyment of the comforts which remain ; when 
it impairs our sympathy with the griefs or joys 
of others ; when it checks us in prayer, or in the 
exercises of faith, and love, and gratitude to our 
God and Saviour. Such feelings of grief are 
evidently immoderate ; and such " sorrow work- 
eth death." It is permitted, indeed, to the 
Christian to " weep" with " Rachel ; but we 
must not, with her, " refuse to be comforted." 

Having thus noticed the admission in the text 
as to the present burthen of ajffliction^ let us consi- 
der, as was proposed, 

II. The statement contained in the text 
AS to the real nature and benefits of afflic- 
tion. 

It may be inquired, for instance, what are the 
moper fruits of affliction? when shall they be gather* 
ed ? and who are they that shall gather them ? To 
all these questions the text replies, " // afterward 
yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to thern 
that are exercised therebii!^'' 



BENEFITS OF AFFLICTION. 279 

To the first of these questions, " what are (he 
proper fruits of affliction ?" the text replies, " it 
yieldeth the peaceMe fruit of righteousness.'''' — "/if 
yieldeth fruitP Affliction, my brethren, is not 
designed to be as a barren or unprofitable seed 
in the heart of the sufferer. Sown, as it were, 
by the hand of our heavenly Father, and water- 
ed by the dews of his mercy, it " strikes root 
downwards," and " bears fruit upward," of the 
brightest colour, and of the most precious quali- 
ty. — The particular fruit it is here said to yield, 
is " righteousness^ In other words, the proper 
fruit of sorrow^ is the purification and sanctifica- 
tion of the heart and conduct. And how con- 
stantly is this statement verified by fact ! How 
often is affliction, through the influence of the 
Spirit of God, followed by the best spiritual con- 
sequences! How frequently does it find men 
destitute of all " the fruits of the Spirit," and 
leave them " abounding in every good word and 
work !" How often, as by the touch of some in- 
visible hand, does it transform the impatient, the 
worldly, and the self-willed, into the resigned, 
spiritual, and self-devoted, servants of the Cross ! 
and thus impart to them " the peaceable fruit "of a 
quiet conscience, a composed spirit, and " set- 
tled" and " established" heart. " The fruit of 
righteousness is peace; and the eflfect of it, 
quietness and assurance for ever." 

To the next of these questions, as to " when 
these fruits of ajfliction shall be gathered T'' the text 
replies, " JVb affliction for the present seemeth to be 
joyous., hut grievous; but afterward it yieldeth this 
peaceable fruitP — It is not, therefore, promised 
that in the first onset and shock of affliction, its 
advantages and blessings shall be always dis- 
cerned or felt bv the sufferer. *' For the present.'^ 



2B0 SERMON «V11I. 

the evil may seem to predominate over the good, 
and the anguish over the consolation. But wait 
for a moment, and you shall find that, even 
amidst the trials of this valley of tears, the '' end 
of the Lord is very piteous." Even here, afflic- 
tion soon begins to shed upon the path of the 
pious sufferer the precious fruits of patience, 
and lowhness, and tenderness, and love. And 
when this journey is over, and he enters the 
world to which his sorrows are designed as a 
guardian angel to conduct him, he shall gather, 
by *' the fountain of living water," all the fruits 
of "the paradise of God," of that tree whose 
" leaves are for the healing of the nations." 

To the third of these questions, as to '^ who 
shall gather these fruits of affliction .'^" the text 
distinctly replies, " those who are exercised there- 

The image appears here to be borrowed from 
the wrestler, stripped naked, and struggling in all 
the agonies of the contest. It is only the indi- 
vidual who is stirred up by the blow of his ad- 
versary to resist, that can be expected to con- 
quer. And thus in the case of affliction : it does 
not " yield the peaceable fruits of righteous- 
ness" and peace, to all, but only to those whom 
it stimulates to struggle for higher attainments 
in religion — whose zeal it quickens — whose en- 
ergies it rouses — and whom it dismisses to the 
field of Christian warfare, thirsting for fresh 
conquests over fresh passion, and appetite, and 
temper ; over the empire of the devil, and the 
costumes of a corrupt world. And let this truth 
never be forgotten — that righteousness and 
peace are not the necessary and inevitable con- 
sequences of sorrow. As the same flame which 



BENEFITS OF AFFLICTION. 28 1 

melts some substances is found to harden others: 
so, affliction, which is the blessing of one man, is 
often the curse of another. The suffering indeed 
is compulsory, but not the benefit. If we forget 
the Hand which strikes us — ^if we neglect the 
intended lesson — if our sorrows do not humble 
and soften the heart ; if they do not wean us 
from the world, and carry us to God — affliction, 
far from dislodging our corruptions, serves only 
to give them a firmer hold and dominion in the 
mind« Checked perhaps for a moment, while 
the calamity is at its height, like the evil spirit 
they return, and, finding the heart swept and 
garnished, *' enter in, and dwell there ; and the 
last state of that man is worse <han the first." 

Consider, then, my Christian brethren, the 
general result of the truths we have been con- 
templating. How deep and multiplied are the 
sorrows of human nature ! And all classes, the 
good as well as the bad, are, as far as outward 
trials are concerned, equally sufferers. What a 
consolation, then, is it to know, that, with regard 
at least to that class of sufferers, who, because 
the least guilty, deserve the deepest sympathy, 
their afflictions are their blessings ; and their 
temporary trials, the ministers and heralds of their 
eternal joy. The afflictions of the good are like 
the " troubling of the water" before the cure is 
wrought. And shall they complain, if, for a 
short moment, and whilst, as it were, the angel 
of their deliverance is descending, they are con- 
strained to wait in the porch, and endure the 
common hardships of the race to which they be- 
long? Shall they not listen to the voice of 
Him who in tenderness afflicts them ? " In a 
littlo wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; 
2N - 



'Ji^2 SERMON XV 111, 

but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy 
upon thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." Shall 
they not say, " I reckon that the sufferings of this 
present time are not worthy to be compared 
with the glory that shall be revealed ?" 

But, my brethren, that we may see more dis- 
tinctly the disposition of mind with which this 
merciful law in the Divine dispensations should 
be regarded, let us consider, 

III. The COMMAND FOUNDED BY THE APOSTLE, IN 
THE TEXT, ON THE STATEMENT WHICH PRECEDES IT. 

"Wherefore," he says, ''lift up the hands tvhick 
hang down^ and the feeble knees^ and make straight 
paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned 
out of the way ; but let it rather be healed^ Let us 
notice the duties here insisted upon, as they are 
meant to be considered, in their application both 
to ourselves and to others, 

1. In the first place, you are directed to " lift 
up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees*'' 
The language is evidently figurative, and the 
image the same with that to which we have be- 
fore adverted. The writer compares the Chris- 
tian, weary with affliction and trial, to the ex- 
hausted wrestler in a severe contest. If such 
are, in the smallest degree, your own circum- 
stances, and your mind is in danger of sinking 
under the struggle of life, consider the " uses of 
adversity," the '' peaceable fruits''^ of affliction, and 
'* lift up your hands which hang down, and 
strengthen your feeble knees." He is the wise 
man, who is prepared to endure the slight evil of 
the present moment to secure a future and per- 
manent good. You cheerfully swallow the bit- 
ter medicine, in hopes of a future cure: you 
readily subject a child to discipline, in anticipa- 



BENEFITS OF AFFLICTION. 283 

tion of its future prdficiency : you bury the seed- 
corn in the ground, in the hopes of a future har- 
vest. Afflictions are the medicine of the great 
Physician, the discipline of the kind Father of 
the universe, the seed-corn of an eternal harvest 
of triumph and joy :" "They that sow in tears 
shall reap in joy :" " He that goeth forth, and 
weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless 
come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves 
with him." Your afflictions are not the result of 
accident : they do not " spring out of the ground." 
Your Redeemer has been your forerunner in this 
arduous path; and having •• suffered himself, be- 
ing tempted, he is able to succour them that are 
tempted." Look, then, from your own weakness 
to his strength ; from your own deficiencies to his 
tenderness and love. When in danger of fainting, 
listen to the voice of the Prophet, " Hast thou 
not known, hast thou not considered, that the 
everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the 
ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary.''" 
Listen to that kind and suffering Saviour, speak- 
ing to you no longer from amidst the shades of 
the cross, but from his throne in the heavens, 
"Fear not: I am the First, and the Last; I am 
He that liveth, and was dead, and am alive for 
evermore ; and have the keys of hell and of 
death." 

And, as it is our duty thus to take courage 
ourselves^ so it is our duty to lift up the feeble 
hands and knees of others. In other words, you 
are to stand by them in the contest with their 
spiritual enemies, and to display to them " the 
prize of their high calling in Christ Jesus," and 
the mighty and merciful Hand by which it is be- 
stowed. Bid them " wait on the Lord, and be 
of good courage, and he shall strengthen their 



284 SERMON XVIII. 

hearts." Assure them that the " God ot* Israel 
neither slumbereth nor sleepeth,' where the 
welfare of his creatures is concerned ; and that 
he will " hide them in his pavilion, in the secret 
place of his tabernacle, and set them upon a 
rock." Beware, my Christian brethren, of your 
religion assuming that narrow and selfish cha- 
racier which would allow you to pursue your 
own solitary path to glory, without striving to 
animate and stimulate your fellow-travellers in 
their course. Endeavour to escape from the re- 
proach of those who " seek their own," instead 
of the " things of Christ" and of their fellow-crea- 
tures. If happy yourself, strive, under the Di- 
vine blessing, to throw wide the flood-gates of 
consolation to those around you. Tell them that 
3^our God is their God ; that your Father is their 
Father ; that the " peaceable fruit" of righteous- 
ness, which flourishes in your vineyard, may 
flourish in theirs. Lead them especially to that 
Comforterwhom our heavenly Master has "sent" 
to us. And as " the Spirit" of God has, from 
age to age, cried aloud to the desolate heart. 
"Come;" and '* the bride," the real church of 
the Redeemer, continues to urge the same invi- 
tation, " Come ;" let all who have listened to this 
invitation, and welcomed it to their aching hearts, 
adopt the same heavenly language, and say to 
every thirsty and famishing soul, "Let him that 
is athirst, come ; and, whosoever will, let him drink 
of the waters of life freely," 

2. But, secondly, you are directed in the text 
to " make straight paths fo7' your feet, lest that which 
is lame be turned out of the way ;" and, " let it ra- 
ther be healedy — As far as this language respects 
rivrsrhes. it appears to mean, that a persuasion of 



BEiNEFlTS OF AFFLICTION. 285 

the blessings attached to affliction should serve 
to rescue us from one class of temptations to 
which the afflicted are exposed, — that of follow- 
ing a crooked path in order to escape an impend- 
ing evil. It is impossible not to recognise, in 
some who are under the pressure of worldly 
trials, a disposition to temporise, or accommo- 
date, or deviate from the strict path of duty. 
Calamity makes some men cowards. But, says 
the Apostle, " make your paths straight,'^'' You 
serve a master who calls for a bold and man- 
ly perseverance in a right course. Your trials 
shall become your blessings, if only you will 
encounter them in the spirit of a Christian. Suf- 
fer them not, therefore, to scare you from the 
field of duty. Choose for yourselves the plain, 
open, visible path of Christian faith and practice. 
And as the Great God himself is "not ashamed 
to be called your God," so do you strive to be 
found in the foremost ranks contending for His 
honour, for the ark of his religion, and for every 
cause by which the welfare of his creatures may 
be promoted. 

But you are also to " make straight paths" as 
it respects others* And the reason is expressly 
assigned " lest that which is lame be turned out of the 
way,''"' — The inconsistency or cowardice of one 
man in religion, is often a source of temptation 
and ruin to multitudes. You may conceive your- 
self able to tread on the very edge of the preci- 
pice without a fall, or to " take fire in your bo- 
som and not be burned ;" but, however safe your- 
self, you will not despise the danger of many 
others if exposed to the same risks. In the case 
of many it is evident that to approach temptation 
is almost necessarily to fall into it ; to cease froni 
•^ doing good" is to learn to " do evil ;" 1o doubt. 



286 SERMON XVllI. 

is almost certainly to decide on the wrong side ; 
to halt, is to be undone. If not, then, for your 
own sake, yet for the sake of those less powerful 
brethren in the family of God, you are to " make 
the path" of Christian duty plain and conspicu- 
ous and broad. You are to " avoid even the 
appearance of evil." You are to " eat no meat 
while the world standeth," if thereby you " cause 
a weak brother to offend." You are to keep 
the line of demarcation clear between the camp 
of the Lord and the strong-holds of the enemy. 
You are not to lessen that interval to a point 
here, which is to be an immeasurable gulf in 
eternity. You are not to reduce to a shadow 
the substantial truths and duties of religion ; to 
confound the distinctions of right and wrong, of 
pardoned and unpardoned, of penitent and im- 
penitent, of converted and unconverted. You 
are not, by increasing the temptations of the 
doubtful and wavering Christian, to allure him, 
as in the fictions of the Mahometan paradise, to 
seek the kingdom of heaven by " a bridge of a 
single hair." On the contrary, in the spirit both 
of the Master you serve, and his first and best 
followers, you are to " make straight," and broad, 
and visible the " path" to glory, " lest that which 
is lame be turned out of the way." 

I shall conclude with stating some of the prac- 
tical consequences which seem to follow from 
the text. 

1 . In the first place, the text may serve to cor- 
rect certain false conceptions which are apt to prevail 
among a large class in society. — How difficult is it 
to persuade some persons that our outward cir- 
cumstances are no just test or measure of the Divine 
favour or displeasure. Even David himself^ when 
he " saw (he w icked in great prosperity." and 



BExNEFlTS OF AFF1.1€TI0.\. 28/^ 

•coming in no misfortune like other folk," was 
for a time led to doubt whether those prosper- 
ous individuals were not the objects of the fa- 
vour of God. And it was only when he "went 
into the sanctuary," and " saw the end of these 
men," that he discovered their prosperity to be 
only, as it were, a glittering and slippery emi- 
nence from which they were to sink into deeper 
and more irremediable ruin. And if any of your- 
selves have fallen into a similar error, let the 
text serve to correct it. " The prosperity of 
fools shall destroy them ;" the trials of the righ- 
teous, on the contrary, purify and preserve them. 
Gould we see the rich man and Lazarus, the 
first in the region of wrath, and the other in the 
bosom of Abraham, who would hesitate to choose 
between the former splendour of the one, and 
the former troubles of the other ; between the 
riches, which perhaps withheld the prosperous 
man from God, and the poverty, which assisted 
to guide the beggar to penitence in this world, 
and glory in the next ? Contemplating the sub- 
ject in this point of view, " we call them happy," 
says the Apostle, — not who glitter, and triumph, 
and enjoy — but " we call them happy that en^ 
dure,^'' And like this is the language of God him- 
self; " Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, 
neither let the mighty man glory in his might ; 
but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he un- 
derstandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord 
who exercise loving kindness, and judgment, and 
righteousness in the world." 

2. In the next place we may learn from the 
texc the proper temper of mind in a real servant of 
God. — It is not, my Christian brethren, a temper 
either of sternness or of apathy, which the Gos- 



2S8 SJEKMO.N XVIil. 

pel prescribes. You are authorized to feel 
keenly, not only for others, but for yourself; to 
" rejoice with those that do rejoice, and weep 
with them that weep ;" to " be afflicted and 
mourn," when the heavy judgments of God are 
upon you. The tear of sensibility or of sympa- 
thy may gush from the eye without any offence 
against the laws of the tender Master you serve. 
But the lesson we are taught by the text is, that 
our sympathy and tenderness are not to escape 
in tears ; but, on the contrary, to lead on to the 
comfort and edification of the sufferers around 
us. We are not merely to feel for " the lame 
and weak" in spirit, but so to act, that far from 
being " turned out of the way," they may find 
the path of peace and holiness and joy. It is our 
business, as far as lies in us, to thrust aside the 
veil which seems to conceal from them the end 
of their trials, the merciful Hand by which they 
are smitten, and the glories which are in store 
for them ; and to display to them " the King in 
his beauty, and the land that is very far off" It 
is our business, as brother pilgrims in this vale 
of tears, to bid them contemplate that " peace- 
able fruit" which is suspended for them on the 
branches of the " tree of life." You are to 
search out for the sons and daughters of affliction, 
in the chamber of sickness, or poverty, or sad- 
ness, and to lead them beside the " still waters" 
and " green pastures" of heavenly consolation. 
You are to repeat to them the compassionate 
words of their tender Shepherd; "When the 
poor and needy seek water, and there is none, 
and their tongue faileth for thirst, I, the Lord, 
will hear them ; I, the God of Israel, will not for- 
sake them." 

3. Finallv. let the text direct vonr eves to 



BENEFITS OF AFFLICTION. 2il^ 

the Saviour of the tvorld, as the complete model of that 
spirit of tenderness and charity which it is designed to 
inculcate, — It is a singular feature in the cnarac- 
ter of our Redeemer, that, in the perfection of 
his love. He regarded all, as though all were 
one; and one, as though one were all; that 
nothing could equal his sympathy for the whole, 
except his tenderness, his sleepless anxiety, and 
unwearied activity in the care of each individu- 
al. Let this depth of feeling and vigour of ac- 
tion, this readiness to suffer, or even to die, for 
a world at enmity with him, serve, by the power 
of the Holy Spirit, to fill you with admiration 
and love for the Master you serve. Other mas- 
ters may have a right to be satisfied with a cold 
discharge of those duties alone which rigid jus- 
tice demands : your Redeemer has a deep, un- 
questionable, and unmeasured claim on all the 
strongest affections of your soul. " If any man," 
says the Aposle, " love not the Lord Jesus Christ, 
let him be anathema maranatha." May that curse 
never light on ourselves ! May each of us, my 
brethren, have our affections thus strongly 
drawn to the Saviour of the world ; and may this 
love melt us into his own sacred image ! " See- 
ing him as he is," may we " be like Him" in all 
we say, think, and do ! May patience, tender- 
ness, and vigour characterize every movement 
of our lives ! And may this testimony be forced 
even from the most reluctant witness to the 
power and value of religion, that none more 
than the servants of Christ carry along with 
them the qualities which sweeten and adorn 
life ; that none are more meek and cheerful in 
the endurance of their own trials ; and none 
more quick to feel, and more anxious to miti- 
£jate, the sufferings of others. 
20 



SERMON XIX. 

THE CHRISTIAN NOT A SERVANT, BUT A SON, 

GAL. iv. 7. 
Therefore thou art not a servant^ but a son. 

The Apostle, in the chapter from which the 
text is taken, is contrasting the circumstances 
of the church of Christ with those of the Jews ; 
and, in order to illustrate this contrast, he be- 
gins by employing the figure of an " heir," first 
in a state of non-age, and then after he is come 
to age. But as the former state, in the age and 
country in which St. Paul lived, " differed no- 
thing from" that of ^' a servant^'''' or slave, he 
gradually subsitutes the one figure for the other; 
and represents the followers of Moses and of 
Christ as respectively in the condition o( slaves 
and of children, '* We," says the Apostle^-that 
is, "we" Jews — " were in bondage under the 
elements of the world ; but when the fulness of 
time was come" — the time, that is, appointed by 
the great Father of the universe for the ushering 
in of a brighter dispensation — " God sent forth 
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying," or 
disposing and privileging us to cry, " Abba, Fa- 
ther :" to address God, that is. as our reconci- 
led and affectionate Parent. Such was the in- 
creased tenderness of the new dispensation, that 
the Christian, released from the shackles of Ju- 
daism, might be compared to a man from whom 
the chains of slaverv or bondage are struck, and 



THE CHRISTIAN A SON. 291 

ivho is invested with all the privileges of a 
child. " Thou art no more a servant, but a son." 
To you is granted the distinctions, the comforts, 
the unbought intimacy, the cordial union, the 
high and immeasurable privilege granted by a 
famer only to the child of his bosom : " Thou 
art no more a servant, but a son ; and, if a son, 
then an heir of God, through Christ." 

Such being the connexion in which the verse 
stands with the context, and the sense it is in- 
tended to convey, I should be strictly complying 
with its language and spirit, if I were, on the 
present occasion, altogether to employ myself 
in displaying to you those blessings and distinc- 
tions of the Gospel which invest it with so vast 
a superiority over every other system of reli- 
gion. But let me at present take for granted 
that these distinctions are familiar to your 
minds ; that you are aware of the privilege of a 
release, not merely from the darkness and cruel- 
ty of idolatry, but from the obscurity, the bur- 
dens, and costly sacrifices of Judaism. Let 
me hope that you are no stranger to the joy of 
turning from the Law to the Gospel — from the 
cloudy to the bright side of the " pillar" of the 
Divine presence — from " the mountain which 
burned with fire," to " Mount Zion, to the city 
of the living God, to an innumerable company 
of angels, and to Jesus the mediator of the new 
covenant ;" — from the yoke which our " fathers 
were not able to bear," to the immunities and 
the consolations of the Gospel of peace. My 
wish, on the present occasion, is rather to call 
your attention to the personal obligations which 
arise out of the new relation in which loe stand to 
God, If. indeed, we are real Christians, we are 



292 SERMON XIX. 

adopted as children into his family. Let us, then, 
endeavour to trace out some of the features 
which ought to characterize a child of God, And 
may our Heavenly Father both guide us in our 
inquiry, and abundantly impart to us every 
quality by which the true members of his family 
are distinguished ! 

I. The first general feature, then, by which the 
children of God will be distinguished, is love 
TO THEIR God and Saviour. — Take the case 
of an individual, who, although a stranger in the 
first instance to the claims of some person who 
stands before him, is suddenly instructed that 
he is a father, and a most tender father : would 
not the mind, under such circumstances, soften, 
and the affections awake, and the whole man be 
powerfully impelled towards this new-discover- 
ed parent ? And as the child became more 
conversant with the excellence and affection of 
his father, would not his heart be more deeply 
interested, and his indifference be gradually ex- 
changed for tenderness and love ? And such, I 
am persuaded, will be the effect wrought upon 
the Christian by the discovery of the fartherly 
character of God. How striking are the ac- 
knowledgments of those devout persons who, 
even under the Law, caught a comparatively 
partial glimpse of this feature in the Divine 
government and character. " Thou, Lord," says 
Isaiah, " art our Father : we are the clay, and 
thou art the potter; we are all the works of thy 
hands." " Have we not all," asks the Prophet 
Malachi, " one Father ? hath not God created 
us ?" And how feelingly, under the Christian 
dispensation, do the servants of God express their 
love to Him, and inculcate this love upon others! 



THE CHKISTIAN A taOlS. 293 

'• We love him, because he first loved us :" " I 
pray that your love may abound more and 
more :" " If any man love not the Lord Jesus 
Christ, let him be anathema maranatha." Here 
is nothing of doubt or hesitation as to the claims 
of God to our deepest and most devout affec- 
tions ; nothing of the jealousy on this point so 
common in the world, and so dishonourable to 
mankind ; nothing of the preposterous notion, 
that, although every other father should be lov- 
ed, the most compassionate of all Parents should 
be robbed of his undeniable rights in the souls 
of his creatures. The language of Scripture is, 
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
heart ;" and the only limit or qualification sug- 
gested with regard to this affection is, that it 
should be a love, not of fancy, but of fact ; not 
of mere expression, but of practice ; not a fic- 
tion of the imagination, but the hearty and afiec- 
tionate consecration of every practical power 
and faculty to the glory of God and the good of 
his creatures — " If ye love me, keep my com- 
mandments" — "Whoso keepeth God's words, in 
him verily is the love of God perfected." 

IL In the second place, a real filial spirit 
will discover itself in the depth of our grief 
FOR SIN. — There is much difference in the grief 
felt by various classes of individuals for their 
crimes against God. The grief of some for their 
transgressions is little more than the dissatisfac- 
tion attached, by a law of our original nature, to 
that which is wrong. In others, it is mere self- 
condemnation for an act opposed to our own in- 
terest. In others, it is notiing more than the 
fear of the disapprobation of those whose good 
opinion we desire. In others, it is exclusively 



294 SERMON XIX. 

the sordid apprehension of eternal punishment. 
But sorrow for sin in the child of God, whilst it 
embraces in itself all that is genuine and just in 
the sorrow of others, is more peculiarly a heart- 
felt grief for having offended the kindest and 
best of Friends and Fathers. If we indeed feel 
this " godly sorrow," it is not merely the resent- 
ment of God which we fear, but his estrange- 
ment from us. We are as much distressed at our 
own baseness and ingratitude as at his wrath. 
And if we have reason to hope that he forgives 
us, we are scarcely able to forgive ourselves. 
Every instance of his forbearance, every assu- 
rance of his tenderness, every memorial of his 
love, reproaches our ingratitude, and inflicts a 
deeper wound on the conscience. " Thon hast 
mercy^^'* says the Psalmist, " that thou mayest be 
feared:'^'' as though he had said, " I might have 
impiously braved the terrors of thy wrath, but 
thy love disarms me, melts me, overwhelms me : 
I grieve, I repent, 1 acknowledge my transgres- 
sion, and my sin is ever before me : Lord, save 
me, or I perish." 

Ill, This filial spirit will discover itself in our 
MANNER of WORSHIPPING GoD.— The slavc may 
sullenly pursue the path of his duties ; but he 
cannot delight in his master's house, or joyfully 
approach his presence. And thus the man who 
feels himself rather the slave than the child of 
God, and who istbereforeinfluenced rather byfear 
than by love. Like our first parents, when ter- 
rified at the consequences of their sin, he will 
hide himself from the presence of the Lord. 
But how different is the state of a real child of 
God ! Hear him speak, and he will say, " Oh. 



THE CHKISTIAX A SUA. 29»5 

how amiable are thy tabernacles, thou Lordfof 
hosts !" — " when shall I come to appear before 
God !" " One thing have I desired of the Lord, 
and that will I seek after ; that I may dwell in 
the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to 
behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in 
his temple." See him approach to God, and 
what evident dehght beams in his countenance ! 
How high the pulse of his happiness beats ! 
What holy confidence breathes in his petitions ! 
" I stretch forth my hands unto thee ; my soul 
thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land !" What 
ardour in his songs of praise ! " While I live 
will I praise the Lord ; I will sing praises unto 
my God while I have my being." It is not, in- 
deed, that he forgets his own unworthiness, or the 
immeasurable interval between God and him- 
self He knows that God is " in heaven, and he 
upon earth ;" and that even the seraphs around 
the Throne veil their faces before the brightness 
of the Divine Majesty. Still he has heard the 
cheering language, " Behold, I stand at the door 
and knock : if any hear my voice, and open the 
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with 
him, and he with me." It is to a Father that he 
prays, and it is in the spirit of a child he speaks. 
" This is the confidence that we have in him, 
that if we ask any thing according to his will, he 
heareth us ; and knowing that he heareth us, we 
also know that we have the petitions we desire." 
— Blessed confidence ! Who that has this^ and 
holds it by a scriptural tenure — who, that can 
cast himself on the love of the Father, and avail 
himself of the mediation of the Son, and "walk 
in the comfort of the Holy Ghost" — who, that 
has liberty to enter into the holiest bv the blood 



296 ^JERMON XIX. 

of Jesus,'' to " draw near with the full assurance 
of faith," — would exchange his privilege for all 
the treasures of the world ? But how vast the 
difference between such a state of mind and that 
of the mere slavish worshipper — the man fetter- 
ed in every affection of the soul, and dragging 
out his drowsy and reluctant services in the house 
of the Lord — the man unable to " watch, even for 
an hour," when his Lord calls him to the solemn 
and delightful duty. — Try your own state, my 
brethren, by this practical taste. How far is 
your mind in tune for the services of God ? 
With what emotions do you anticipate the Sab- 
bath, the happy hours of private or public inter- 
course with God, the solemnities of the holy Sa- 
crament, or the lessons of the ministers of reli- 
gion ? Are you the mere slaves of custom, or 
decorum, or necessity, in your approaches to 
God ? Or, are you the free, the cheerful, the 
delighted worshippers of the tender Father of a 
weak and wicked world ? 

IV. In the fourth place, a filial spirit will dis- 
cover itself in affectionate obedience to the 
WILL OF God. — I call it " affectionate^'' to distin- 
guish it from the heartless concessions of those 
whom fear drives to do what their taste abhors ; 
whose language to their Master is, " I know thee, 
that thou art an austere man, reaping where 
thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou 
hast not strawed ;" whose mind like a strong 
spring weighed down by some intense pressure, 
is ever struggling to rise, and to escape from the 
occupations of religion — from prayer, and medi- 
tation, and communion with God. My Christian 
brethren, the obedience of a real child of God 
is that of a " willing mind :" '• My people shall 



THE CHRISTIAN A SO.N. 29? 

be willing in the day of my power." Tmiched 
and softened by the compassion of God, they 
melt, like the rock in the wilderness, under his 
hand. Throwing away all neutrality and indeci- 
sion, they become " stedfast, immoveable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord ; forasmuch 
as they know that their labour is not in vain in 
the Lord." Henceforth every duty assumes a 
new complexion. It is not enough merely to 
give : "• God loveth a cheerful giver." It is not 
enough merely to love : they must " love with all 
the heart." It is not enough simply to act : God 
requires us to do it " heartily." In this spirit 
the child of God runs the great circle of his 
duties. His spirit of obedience every day ex- 
pands over a wider surface. He neither over- 
looks the minutest obligations, nor shrinks from 
the greatest. In the strength of the Lord he at- 
tempts every thing, achieves many things, and 
then, in the deep sense of his own unworthiness, 
carries every achievement to the foot of the 
Cross: he "does justly, loves mercy, and walks 
humbly with his God." It is true, my brethren, 
that, if genuine Christians, "you are not under 
the law, but under grace;" that you are released 
from the condemning power of those stern de- 
crees which were issued amidst the thunders of 
Mount Sinai, and live in the sunshine of benigni- 
ty and love. Still, however, under every dispen- 
sation of Heaven, the law of God is the only rule 
of life; works, the only real evidence of faith; 
and the disobedient and impenitent, whatever 
be their reputation for faith, shall be shut out 
for ever from the kingdom of our Father. " No- 
thing that defileth," it is said, " entereth there- 
in:" andean you, if impenitent, hope to force voiir 
2P , 



298 SERMON XIX. 

way within the portals of heaven, and, with the 
standard of rebellion in your hand, claim for dis- 
obedience and indifference the prize of faith, and 
love, and holy conformity to the will of God ? 
Can you, if such be your circumstances, have a 
right to anticipate from the Judge of all the earth 
any answer but one to these claims of arrogance 
and impiety ; " Depart from me — I never knew 
you?" 

V. In the fifth place, a filial spirit will disco- 
ver itself IN THE SEASON OF TRIAL AND AFFLICTION. 

Our trials, my Christian brethren, are apt to 
affect us very much according to the hand by 
which they are inflicted. Is the man who strikes 
the blow our avowed enemy ? is there malice in 
the act ? did he intend still more extensive mis- 
chief than he is able to accomplish ? Such fea- 
tures in the individuals, or such intentions in the 
act, have a tendency to give a keener edge to the 
injury, and materially to deepen the wound. 
But, is the hand which wounds us lifted with re- 
luctance, and does it cost the individual who 
strikes as much pain as him on whom the blow 
descends ? These circumstances contribute to 
soften our anguish, and dispose us rather to love 
the striker than to resent the blow. And it is 
thus the child of God regards the visitations of 
his Heavenly Father. They are to him as so 
many messengers sent down from heaven to 
guide him into the path of duty and joy. He has 
listened to the language of God, " Whom I love I 
rebuke and chasten ;" and, therefore, in his eyes 
the chastisements of God are the chastisements 
of love. He sees the beam of mercy, as it were, 
breaking from the dark cloud which overshadows 
him. ^* ft is the Lord," he says, " let him do 



THE CHRISTIAN A S0>. 2^HJ 

what seemeth him good :" — " though he slay me, 
jet will I trust in him :" — " the Lord is my Kock, 
my Fortress, and my Deliverer. — O thou my 
God, save thy servant who trusteth in thee." 
There is, perhaps, no case, my Christian bre- 
thren, in which the slave and the child of God 
are more distinguished than in cases of affliction 
and trial. The slave cannot persuade himself of 
the love of his master : the child needs no argu- 
ment to convince him of it. Visit the child of 
God upon the couch of sickness or disappoint- 
ment, and you find it to be, perhaps, one of his 
happiest moments. Shut out from the world, he 
then sees most of his God. It is then the blessed 
Jesus stands beside his bed of languishing, and 
says, "Peace be unto you." It is then that the 
" Comforter comes unto him." It is then, per- 
haps, that he first begins to discover to his hu- 
man instructor that he needs him no longer; 
that he is a secret Visiter and Friend — a " Com- 
forter" who " takes of the things of Christ to 
shew them" to his soul ; that he privately drinks 
of "the stream which makes glad the city 
of our God ;" that when he cries to the Lord, 
" My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me.'^" the Lord himself descends to hush the 
storm, and to speak consolation to his troubled 
heart. 

VI. The child of God may be known, in the 
sixth place, by his love to the family of God. — 
The elder brethren of that holy family, the an- 
gels who kept their first estate, are, indeed, al- 
ready in heaven, and lodged in its deep and 
mysterious recesses far beyond the reach of our 
sympathies and affections. Others of the chil- 
dren of God have " fallen asleep in Jesus," and 
can be no more siibiects of our anxietv and vi- 



30U sERMOX XiX. 

gilance. But there remains upon earth a large 
scattered family, cast out to all the trials and 
vicissitudes of this afflicted world. For these 
the child of God feels deeply, and with them he 
sympathizes fondly. His heart goes with them in 
all their wanderings and perils. He mourns 
when they mourn, and " rejoices when they re- 
joice." Regarding them as members of that 
mystical body to w^hich he himself belongs, and 
of which Christ is the everlasting Head, he can 
no more neglect their interest or their happi- 
ness than he could raise one of his hands to de- 
stroy or impair the other. And, here, my breth- 
ren, is another grand distinction between the 
child of God and the slave of the world. The 
man of the world values others mainly for their 
power to promote his own interest, or pleasure, 
or convenience ; the child of God loves them be- 
cause Christ loves them, and because he has 
commended them to our care and affection ; " If 
ye love me, love the brethren ;" " feed my sheep;" 
*• feed my lambs," — Is there any man among us 
>vho questions the importance of the Gospel to 
the happiness of mankind ? Consider, then, I 
beseech you, what would be the full results of 
such principles and precepts, when brought to act 
wdth all their energy and power upon the public 
welfare. The strife of tongues would cease. 
This great Babel should have but one language, 
and that the language of love and heaven. 
Those united in the bonds of nation, or family, 
or blood, should be united in heart. Discord 
w^ould quench its torch. Revenge would sheathe 
its sword. Persecution would extinguish its 
fires. All men would love all men, for the sake 
of Him '* who loved them, and washed them 



THE CHKlSTiAN A S0>. ^"^01 

from their sins in his own blood, and made them 
priests and kings unto God." The golden chain 
which binds us to Christ would bind all men to 
each other. — Nor let any one venture, as to 
himself, to regard this statement as a matter of 
mere speculation. If you love not the family of 
God, be your other pretensions what they will, 
you are not the child of God. "If any man," 
says a judge who could not be mistaken, " love 
not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he 
love God whom he hath not seen ?''^ The love 
you feel for the Saviour you are to shew to those 
who are his visible representatives upon earth. 
You are to act noiv upon the principle upon which 
your everlasting destiny is suspended : " Inas- 
much as ye have done it unto one of the least of 
these, ye have done it unto me." 

VII. But, finally, filial love will shew itself 
in a hearty endeavour to resemble our hea- 
VBNLY Father. " Be ye followers of God, as dear 
children." — Affectionate children, in their eager 
desire to transfer to their own character the 
qualities of those they fondly love, are found 
sometimes to catch even their deformities. And, 
where restrained by prudence from this extrava- 
gance of imitation ; yet how anxious are they to 
appropriate those excellences Which have won 
their own affections, and shed a sunshine over 
their own lives ! It is thus with the child of God. 
" Born of God," he remembers his original, and 
feels that he must strive every day to live more 
worthy of it. He contemplates the " beauty of 
holiness" in the Object of his supreme reverence 
and affection, and. thirsts to be " holy even as 
God is holy ;" to be "perfect, as his Father which 
is in heaven is perfect." And he finds, in the 



302 aERMO^ XIX. 

pursuit of this high object, every encouragement 
in the Gospel. There he has no longer to 
search out a " God who hideth himself:" there 
he beholds, in the Son of God, not merely the 
" express image" of the Father, but that image 
reduced to an imi table form. And thus, " with 
open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of 
the Lord, he is changed into the same image, 
from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." 
As he gazes, with wonder and admiration, upon 
the image of God in the unveiled face of the Re- 
deemer, the Spirit of God transforms him into 
the same sacred image ; raising him from day to 
day through all the gradations of holiness, till 
he reaches '' the fulness of the measure of the 
stature of Christ." Follow such a man into the 
offices of life, and you will find him carrying 
along with him, in his spirit and conduct, many 
indubitable evidences of his alliance to the fami- 
ly of God. You will see much of heaven brought 
down to earth. You will discover him daily 
casting off his pollutions, and assuming an in- 
creased " meetness for the inheritance of the 
saints in light." If you yourself, my Christian 
brethren, are thus " renewed in the image" of 
your Father, your religion will no longer be 
equivocal. It will need neither a loud and os- 
tentatious profession nor an aflfectation of petty 
and useless singularities, to reveal it to the 
world. On the contrary, every action will have 
a voice ; and your alliance to God will be seen 
and felt in the ten thousand incidents of daily 
life ; in every circumstance and act by which 
God may be honoured and a fellow-creature 
may be comforted or blessed. 

But, my brethren, let us now bring these ob- 



THE CHRISTIAN A SON. 303 

servations to a close, by considering some of their 
practical consequences. 

J. In the first place, then, is there not much 
in the text to alarm the careless and the worldly ? 
Does God offer us the privilege of an admis- 
sion to his family, and can we reject the invita- 
tion vf'iih impunity ? " What is man," was the 
question of David, " that thou art mindful of 
him, or the son of man, that thou so regardest 
him ?" What are we indeed, that we should be 
permited to aspire to the immeasurable dis- 
tinction of adoption into the family of the King 
of kings ? And yet are not multitudes of those so 
invited trampling on all the offers of Divine 
mercy, forgetting their lofty destiny, and bow- 
ing down a spirit designed for intimate and 
eternal communion with God, to all the follies 
and impurities of a perishing world ! " If I be a 
Father," asks the Lord, " where is mine ho- 
nour ?" And if we are sons, where are the qua- 
lities we have been contemplating to-day ? 
Where is the love of God and of the Redeem- 
er — the genuine sorrow for sin — the delight in 
approaching God — the obedience, the resigna- 
tion, the brotherly affection, the general resem- 
blance to your heavenly Father ? Where are 
the marks by which we are at once to recognise 
your holy descent and alliance, and your capa- 
city for the joys of angels, and the presence of 
God ? What ! a child of God, and prostrate to 
the flesh or to the devil? a "joint heir with 
Christ," and yet fastened down to this miserable 
world, as though it were your all ? called to a 
throne in heaven, and yet incorporated in your 
habits and spirit with the children of perdition? 
By all the mercies of God, by all the terrors of 



^04 SERMON XIX. 

jour circumstances, let me call upon you to 
" awake," and " arise from the dead," that 
"Christ may give you light" — "Awake," and 
" arise," lest, although surrounded with invita- 
tions for heaven, you sink into the gulf of ever- 
lasting ruin. 

2. But, lastly, is there not much in this subject to 
encourage the lowly and timid? Though earnestly 
seeking all the qualities on which we have 
touched to-day, do you find yourselves in com- 
plete possession of none of them ? Nevertheless, 
my Christian brethren, be not dismayed. The 
conquest of sin, the grafting on the wild and cor- 
rupt stock of human nature the graces of the 
Spirit— the imparting to slaves the character 
and qualities of the children of God, and heirs 
of eternal life, are not likely to be the works of 
a day, or the result of a few wishes and prayers. 
The question to put to yourselves is not, " have I 
actually apprehended?" but am I " pressing 
towards the mark ?" It is not, Are these quali- 
ties come to perfection ? but have I the elements 
of them in my own character ? Do you regret 
your deficiencies } are you washing away your 
guilt in the " fountain opened for all unclean- 
ness ?" Do you aspire to better things ? would 
you gladly sacrifice every other distinction to be 
invested with those of the children of God ? 
Then fear not ; for these cravings after holiness 
are at least the rudiments of the Christian life 
and character. They are, as it were, the seed- 
corn of the harvest of eternal life. To you, I 
would say, " Follow on, that ye may know the 
Lord." Seek the presence of that Redeemer 
who never spurned a single supplicant from his 
feet. Call upon God, and he will " send forth 



A PEACEABLE SPIRIT. 305 

the Spirit of his Son into your hearts;" will 
** manifest himself to you as he doea not to the 
world." Call upon him, and he will not " give 
you stones for bread, or a serpent for a fish ;" 
but the real and " living bread," — the " bread 
which Cometh down from heaven," — the bread 
of which " he who eats shall hunger no more," 
neither in the wilderness of life nor in the para- 
dise of God. Thou art " no more a servant, but 
a son." May your heavenly Father see you 
when afar off, fold you to his bosom, and give 
you a rich and unfading inheritance among the 
saints in glory .'* And when any spirit around 
the throne shall inquire into the cause of the 
new songs of angelic joy which rend the con- 
cave of heaven, may the Redeemer of sinners 
point to yourself, and say, " Behold, my son was 
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is 
found!" 



SERMON XX- 

THE PURSUIT OF PEACE THE DUTY OF A CHRIS^ 
TIAN. 

Heb. xii. 14. 

Follow peace with all men. 

The trials and afflictions of life, even when 
they do not destroy the faith, are apt to injure 
the temper. And the Apostle, having in other 
2 Q 



306 SERMON XX. 

verses of this chapter suggested a variety of 
considerations calculated to cherish our confi- 
dence in God in the hour of adversity, proceeds 
to inculcate upon us the duty of union with each 
other. We are directed to '^ follow peace with all 
men /' to look with tenderness and forbearance 
on the very " sinners" whose " contradictions" 
we are required to endure ; not merely to wel- 
come " peace" if it is offered, but to "/o/Zom;" 
it where it is not; not merely to seek it with a 
few, with the members of a particular sect or 
community, but " with all men^'*^ with every crea- 
ture in the great family of God. 

Such, my brethren, is the injunction in the 
text, conveying in a few simple words a com- 
mand, which, if duly regarded, would of itself at 
once silence all the contentions of society, and 
reduce the conflicting elements of life to a state 
of rest, order, and harmony. How worthy is such 
a precept of the " God" who " is love ;" and one 
governing principle of whose religion is — that if 
" He has loved us," we " ought also to love one 
another !" 

Let us proceed, in dependence upon the Di- 
vine blessing, to a more minute enumeration of 
the short but invaluable precept thus presented 
to us. And, to this end, let us inquire, 

I. What is here implied in the command to 

" FOLLOW PEACE ?" 
II. To WHAT EXTENT WE ARE ENJOINED TO 

•' follow" it ; — And, 

III. By WHAT MEANS WE MAY BEST HOPE TO 
COMPLY WITH THIS INJUNCTION. 

I. We are, in the first place, to inquire what 

19 HERE IMPLIED IN THE COMMAND TO FOLLOW PEACE. 

Two distinct duties appear to be involved in 



A PEACEABLE SPIRIT. 307 

this injunction, — the duty of feeling and acting 
peaceably ourselves^ and that of endeavouring to pro» 
T/ioie a spirit of peace in others. It will be my en- 
deavour to touch on both of these duties. 

1. In the first place, the follower of Christ 
must labour to feel and act peaceably himself — I 
connect the " feeling" with the " act," both be- 
cause the love of peace is the only real security 
for the pursuit of it ; and because, without it, 
the act is rather an act of hypocrisy than of du- 
ty. Who can enter, especially into the walks of 
more refined society, and not discover the wide 
interval between the language of compliment. 
and the spirit of Christian peace ? 

Every thing in the circumstances of the real 
Christian calls him to the sincere and cordial 
pursuit of a peaceable spirit. The God he serves 
is a " God of peace." The Saviour on whom he 
rests is the '' Prince of peace." The Spirit to 
whose holy guardianship he commits himself is 
the " Spirit of peace." — The essential elements 
of that Gospel, which is the hfe of his soul, are 
" righteousness, and peace, and joy, in the Holy 
Ghost." The region in which he aspires to dwell 
for ever is a region of uninterrupted tranquillity 
and love. Can a man serving such a God — pro- 
fessing such a religion — seeking such a heaven, 
be any other than a lover and follower of peace ? 

Nor is the " Spirit of peace" cultivated by the 
true Christian of the negative and worthless cha- 
racter, which appears so often to satisfy the man 
of the world. It is the peace, not of sloth, or in- 
sensibility ; but of endurance, and charity, and 
quiet energy in doing and suffering the will of 
God. As in the erection of the temple, although 
the sound of the hammer was not heard, the 



308 SERMON XX. 

work rapidly proceeded; so the servant of God 
is active without noise, and is perhaps felt the 
most where he is seen and heard the least His 
peaceable spirit, in fact, includes all the quiet 
graces of the Christian character; *a freedom 
from those passions which disturb our repose, 
and the presence of those affections which have 
a tendency to secure it — ^lisinterestedness, pity, 
sympathy; a constant, though calm endeavour 
to scatter the flowers of allowed gratification 
over the path of life, — to rescue the sinner from 
present distress, and the more terrible anguish 
of future wo. Of such a spirit of peace, it may 
be fairly said, that it is but another name for 
that " wisdom from above, which is first pure, 
then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreat- 
ed ;" or for the " charity" which " suffereth 
long, and is kind, which envieth not, which is 
not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth 
not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth 
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, 
endureth all things." If it is alleged that this 
delineation of a peaceable temper involves other 
graces of the Spirit, and qualities of the renewed 
mind, the fact must be admitted. But the seem- 
ing inaccuracy arises from this circumstance, 
that the qualities of the Christian never spring 
alone. All are the joint produce of one sacred 
influence : all are as the " twelve manner of 
fruits" upon that " tree of life" whose " leaves 
are for the healing of the nations." 

2. But, secondly, this pursuit of peace in- 
cludes in it a cordial desire to promote a spirit of 
peace in others. The Jews are often charged 
with the crime of" provoking" the Almighty to 
displeasure. They are. in like manner, cengur- 



A PEACEABLE SPIRIT. 309 

ed for " provoking" the spirit of Moses. And 
parents are strongly cautioned by the Apostle, 
not to " provoke their children to vrrath." How 
essential such an injunction is, in the case of 
multitudes, it is scarcely necessary to state. How 
many are there who, if calm in spirit themselves, 
seem to discover little harm in irritating the feel- 
ings of others, in touching the tender parts of 
their nature, and supplying the spark to their 
constitutional fretfulness and violence ! How 
few, comparatively, act in the conciliatory tem- 
per of Jacob, when he sent before him the pre- 
sent of cattle designed to soothe the angry spir- 
it of his brother ; or in that of St. Paul, when he 
laboured to soften the prejudices of his country- 
men by submitting to obsolete rites, or abstain- 
ing from allowed indulgences ! How infinitely 
remote, in a thousand instances, is the conduct 
of the disciples of Jesus from the spirit of the 
" meek and lowly" Master whom they profess to 
serve ! It is true, there is much in the doc- 
trines and precepts of the Gospel to provoke the 
hostility of the wicked ; and that these doc- 
trines admit neither of change nor reduction. 
Our very pity and love for the sinner forbid 
every attempt to vitiate the remedy by suiting it 
to the diseased palate. But if truth is immuta- 
ble, the manwer of presenting it admits of every 
variety ; from the most revolting coarseness, to 
the most touching delicacy and tenderness. 
And it is over the " manner" the Christian must 
watch. It is needless offence he must avoid. 
His hatred to the sin must not extinguish his ten- 
derness to the sinner. And he must, in the 
spirit of the Lord he serves, stand ready to 
" bind up" the very wounds which conscience 
has compelled him to inflict. 



JIO SERMON XX. 

Having thus touched on the two main duties 
which appear to be included in the pursuit of 
peace, let us inquire, as was proposed, 

11. To WHAT EXTENT WE ARE HERE ENJOINED 

TO PURSUE it. — The language of the text is simple 
and decisive: '* Follow peace with all men.'* 
Consider the bearing of this injunction on our 
conduct towards various classes of individuals. 

1. In the first place, this expression instructs 
us in the duty of "following peace" with all na- 
tions. It is the more necessary to notice this to- 
pic on account of the unchristian notions which 
too commonly prevail upon the subject of what 
is called ^'patriotism,'''' How much, my brethren, 
of that temper of mind which arrogates to itself 
this high and honourable title is in direct hos- 
tility, even to the interests of the country men 
wish to serve, because in direct opposition to 
the will of Him on whom the prosperity of every 
country depends ! He only has the legitimate 
and Christian love for his country, who, while 
he feels warmly and acts strongly for its honour 
and interests, abhors all injustice to the rest of 
the world. If, to serve his own nation, a man 
will readily light the torch of war, and drench 
the fields of other nations with blood ; if, to cul- 
tivate his own lands, he will wrench the wretch- 
ed inhabitants of other shores from their family 
and home, will traffic in their blood, and dig a 
destructive soil with the bones, and water it with 
the tears of the stranger and the captive, — such 
patriotism is not to be praised as the love of our 
country, but to be detested as broad and open 
enmity to human nature. The Gospel allows of 
such geographical limits in our affections, and 



A PEACEABLE SPIRIT. 311 

no such uncharitable distinction amidst the great 
family of God. Is the poor slave not " a man 
and a brother !" Is he not a creature for whom 
Christ died ? Is he not framed of our common 
clay, cast in a common mould, fashioned in our 
own image ; and that the sacred image of the 
great Father of the univese ? Does he not carry 
along with him, even amidst the wreck and ruin 
of his original nature, many lineaments which 
proclaim his affinity to the Highest and Best of 
all beings. And shall you and I suffer the mere 
shade or the dye of a skin which may cover a 
heart a thousand times larger and warmer than 
our own, to cut him off from the privileges of 
human nature — to forge chains for a freeman of 
heaven — and drive the iron of ignorance, and 
bondage, and perhaps of perdition, into his 
soul ? 

2, But, secondly, you must follow peace with 
men of all opinions, — Let me not be thought, my 
Christian brethren, in thus saying, to have any 
intention of confounding the everlasting distinc- 
tions of right and wrong ; of maintaining the lati- 
tudinarian notion, that a man's sentiments mat- 
ter nothing, if only he act fairly and consistently 
up to them. I know that " he who believeth and 
is baptized shall be saved, and that he who be- 
lieveth not shall be damned ;" and, therefore, 
that it behooves every man to look well to the 
course he is steering, and not madly to rush on 
without the chart and compass of holy Scripture. 
But, at the same time, is it impossible there 
should be peace even among those who differ 
largely in opinion ? Is our charity to fall a neces- 
sary sacrifice to the theological errors of othefs ? 
Are we to sin in practice, because they err in 



312 SERMON XX. 

judgment? Let the following circumstances 
also be taken into consideration ; that, although 
the records of eternal truth, as far as the grand 
fundamentals of religion are concerned, — for 
example, the being of a God, the Divinity and 
Atonement of Christ, the sacred influence of the 
Holy Spirit, the fall of man by his own miscon- 
duct, his justification by faith in Christ, his con- 
version by the Holy Ghost, the absolute necessity 
of good works and amiable tempers, — leave no 
room for rational doubt or disputation; yet that, 
as to many lesser points, they are less clear and 
decisive. And if this be true, then may it be 
added, that in such circumstances, circumstances 
nevertheless essential to the free agency of man, 
it is impossible to expect absolute unity of opin- 
ion. Men will infallibly reason as to such points, 
according to their previous habits, prejudices, 
and partialities ; and we can no more hope to 
bring them all to one opinion than to reduce 
them to one complexion, or, with the tyrant of 
old, to fit them to one couch. But, my brethren, 
as it has been often said, '• if you cannot recon- 
cile all opinions, you may endeavour to unite 
all hearts." You may discover the errors of 
your brother without hating him, you may walk 
with him as far as he walks in the right path, 
and at that point quit him with kindness and 
affection. You may, instead of raking up every 
topic of disagreement, produce to him, after the 
example of our Redeemer, those common truths 
on which you are agreed, and try if, from these 
just premises, you cannot lead him to juster 
"conclusions. You may, instead of frightening 
him from all religion by the severity which you 
associate ^^ith it : endeavour to win his homage 



I 



A PEACEABLE SPIRIT. 313 

£0 right principles by surrounding them with the 
lustre of a kind temper. 

3. But, thirdly, you must " follow peace with 
men" of all classes and characters. 

I need not commend to the affection of their 
fellow-Christians, the real disciples of Christ. Mere 
peace with such individuals, will by no means 
satisfy you ; because your hearts will crave a 
deeper and more intimate union with them. Of 
all friendships, I am persuaded that none is so 
strong as that cemented by the common love of 
a crucified Redeemer. There indeed is that 
thorough oneness of heart ; that deep and lively 
sympathy ; that intimate mingling of mind with 
mind ; that quick sensibility to each other's ho- 
nour, interest, and happiness ; that tenderness 
to each other's faults ; that homage to each 
other's excellences; that mutual sacrifice of self, 
which the imagination of poets and orators have 
fancied in worldly friendships, but which never 
existed except in bosoms softened and sanctified 
by the influences of the Holy Spirit. With such 
persons you, if real Christians, will delight " to 
take sweet counsel," to '' go up to the house ol 
God as friends," to listen to their history of the 
mercies and tenderness of that Saviour who is 
the " very joy of your own hearts." 

But the text calls you to a more difficult duty; 
the " following peace" with those who do not love 
God. You are to " follow it with all men. And 
therefore, my Christian brethren, the vilest sin- 
ner and the bitterest enemy are not to be ex- 
cluded from the sphere of your tenderness — 
" bless them that curse you ;" " pray for them 
which despitefully use you :" " if thine enemy 
hunger, feed him: if he thirst, ^ive him drink." 
2 R 



314" SERMO\ XX. 

Consider, again and again, the various circum- 
stances which ought to dispose you to peace 
with such individuals. Perhaps you mistake 
them. Perhaps their irreligion is the conse- 
quence of disadvantages in connexion, or station, 
or education ; and it is therefore mare a subject 
of pity than of anger. Perhaps your own Chris- 
tian kindness to them is the very instrument by 
which God designs to draw them to himself. 
Perhaps your own prayers are appointed to bring 
down His pardon and grace upon their guiltj 
heads. Perhaps their case is far from despe- 
rate; and, even now, the Saviour of the world 
is, as it were, gone to search for them in the 
" tombs," to rescue them from the grasp of their 
lusts and passions, and bring them to sit at his 
own feet. Or, should none of these mitigating 
circumstances enter into the case of particular 
individuals, what, let me ask, is there in the 
condition of a poor perishing sinner to excite 
any thing hut compassion and grief in the soul 
of a servant of God ? Suppose even, — which, 
however, you have no right to suppose, — that his 
everlasting destiny is decided, and that he is a 
criminal hurrying onward to execution; is it on 
a person in such awful circumstances you would 
empty the vials of your indignation ? Pity the 
unconverted sinner ; pray for him ; weep for 
bim ; but do not be angry with him. Persuade 
him to peace with God ; and do not aggravate 
the horrors of his situation by inflicting on him 
the additional penalties of your own unkindness. 
III. But I come now, as was proposed, in con- 
clusion, to point out a few of those rules by 

WHICH THE PURSUIT OF PEACE MAY PERHAPS BE MOST 
SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCTED. 



A PEACEABLE SPIRfT. 316 

And here, need I, my brethren, premise that 
the grace and power of the Most High God can 
alone enable you in the smallest measure either 
to adopt rules such as these, or to act upon 
them. Every attempt therefore to comply with 
them must begin, continue, and end, in a deep 
sense of our own insufficiency, and in full and 
filial dependence U[)on the Holy Spirit. To the 
man, however, praying and labouring, in the 
strength of God, to promote peace, the following 
rules may be of some assistance. 

1. In the Jirst place, strive to cut deep at the roots 
of your own selfishness. — " From whence," asks St. 
James, " come wars and fightings among you?* 
come they not hence even of your lusts ?^^ Do 
you ask by what spell the Apostle of the Gentiles 
collected and combined large masses of a quar- 
relsome community into one harmonious body ? 
I answer, — On the one hand, by supplying them 
with the principle of " seeking not their own," 
but the " things of Christ," and of " one ano- 
ther;" and, on the other hand, by giving them 
in his own life the best illustration of this princi- 
ple. " I have made myself," he says, " a servant 
to all : unto the Jews became 1 as a Jew — unto 
them that are without law as without law ; to the 
weak became 1 as weak. I am made all things to 
all men, that I might by all means save some." 
In other words, he had torn " self^^ from his 
heart, in order to plant it with love to God and 
love to man. He had, by the power of Divine 
grace, transferred every thought, feeling, and 
aiSection, which he once lavished upon himself, 
first to his Redeemer, and then to the perishing 
millions purchased with his precious blood. 



316 SERMON XX. 

2. A second rule for ^^ following peace'' is not 
to indulge extravagant expectations as to the attain- 
ments or conduct of others. — Man is. after all, a poor 
fallen creature, and will carry from the cradle to 
the grave many marks of his guilt and degrada- 
tion. Task not such a being too high. And if 
disposed to complain of others, inquire what 
there is in your own conduct to warrant lofty 
demands upon those around. " Let him that is 
without sin cast the first stone." But let not the 
guilty be the first to criminate the guilty. " To 
his own Master he standeth or falleth.-* Con- 
sign him then to that final judgment : and rather 
hasten to seek forgiveness for yourself, than to 
pronounce sentence upon others. How^ unan- 
swerable is the argument for peace contained in 
the injunction of the Apostle ! *' Be ye kind, 
tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as 
God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." 

3, In the third place, take care not to confound 
iU-temper with zeal for God. — " Come with me," 
baid Jehu. •* and see my zeal for the Lord," 
when he sought mainly to glut his cruelty with 
the blood of his enemies. And the Apostles 
found occasion, even in the infancy of the church, 
to remind its professed disciples, that " the 
wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of 
God." There is reason, probably, in every 
stage of our religious course, to apprehend the 
revival, under new forms, of our old corrup- 
tions. In many cases they are not '' dead, but 
sleep :" and the slightest excitement rouses them 
to action. And this perhaps is especially true 
of the tempers. The fierceness which used io 
issue in violence may find vent in religious in- 
ttjlerance and disputation. Think not. my bre- 



A PEACEABLE SPIRIT. 317 

thren, to tight the battles of religion with the 
untempered weapons of severity and wrath ; 
" They that take the sword shall," in this case, 
" perish by the sword ;" let them expect no re- 
sult of their angry efforts but the displeasure of 
the God of peace and love. 

4. In the fourth place, let me urge you to 
avoid a spirit of party in religion, — Into no depart- 
ment of society can a party-spirit enter without 
inflicting the most serious injuries. It is of its 
very essence to put the understanding in tram- 
mels — to prostrate conscience to interest — to 
destroy independence, and consign the faculties 
and principles to the tyranny of others. In re- 
ligion especially it may be said of a party-spirit 
that it is the marsh land in which every thing 
the most noxious and venemous is engendered ; 
bigotry, and harshness, and hatred. "While 
one," says tjie Apostle, " saith I am of Paul, and 
another I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal? 
Who is Paul, who is Apollos, but ministers by 
whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to 
every man .'^" How strongly does he urge these 
religious partisans to exchange every human 
master and guide for their Lord and Saviour. In 
what exquisite language does he inculcate on 
them the duties of unanimity and tenderness ; 
" Finally, brethren, farewell : be of good com- 
fort, be of one mind ; live in peace, and the God 
of peace shall be with you." Obey these injunc- 
tions, my Christian brethren; and take down all 
the petty flags of personal and party hostility, 
Ho elevate the one great and glorious banner of 
the Cross of Christ. 

5. The last counsel which I feel myself able 
to offer on the present occasion, is that oidwel" 



318 SERMON XX. 

ling chiefly on essentials in religion. It is astonish- 
ing, my Christian brethren, what mere trifles 
arm the great mass of combatants in this con- 
tentious world. And it is no less striking to 
what an extent this spirit of contention almost 
infallibly increases wherever a temper of solemn 
trifling in the things of God prevails. It is by 
endeavouring to escape from this lower region 
of religion, if indeed it deserves the name, and 
by taking refuge on its heights ; it is by fleeing 
from trifles to its great and awful realities, to 
those vital and fundamental truths on which the 
Gospel is erected ; that the heart, under God, 
becomes so interested and absorbed as to find 
neither leisure nor taste for disputation and vio- 
lence. How can we stop to quarrel about non- 
essentials, when the question is unsettled wheth- 
er we are in the " narrow" or the " broad 
path," — whether on the right or on the wrong 
side of the line of demarcation, — whether our 
gracious Redeemer loves or hates us — whether 
we are on the road to heaven, or the road to 
hell ? Only labour to set your affections, my 
Christian brethren, on " things above, where 
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God," and the 
fleeting visions of the world will have no power 
to arrest the mind, or agitate the temper. He 
who dwelt upon the earth, not to seek a portion 
here, but only to bless and to deliver it, found 
nothing to disturb the serenity of his passons, or 
the unbroken harmony of his love. O call upon 
that gracious Master ! not merely to wash you 
from the guilt of past bitterness and wrath, but 
to impart to you the spirit of meekness which was 
granted without measure to Himself. 

I must here, mv brethren, conclude this im- 



A I'EACEABLE SPlKli. .il9 

perfect statement of some of the rules, by the 
observation of which, under the blessing of the 
Holy Spirit, we may hope most succesfuUy to 
" follow peace." But let me, in conclusion, ad- 
dress a few words especially to those who, after 
the application of these and every other means 
suggested to them by the word and Spirit of 
God, find themselves unable to soothe the angry 
tempers of those around them. To such indi- 
viduals, I may say, Your circumstances appear to 
have some resemblance to those of the Psalm- 
ist : " I labour for peace," he says ; " but when 
I speak unto them thereof, they make them ready 
to battle." And, I may add, your circumstances 
are more or less those of the servants of God in 
every age. The pride of the unconverted will 
not endure the condemning superiority of the 
good. Still, my brethren, you are not to be dis- 
couraged or to relax in your labours of love. 
You are not only to be the last to buckle on the 
armour, but the first to put it off When even 
forced into the attitude of war, you are to dis- 
play the spirit of forbearance and love. When 
your enemies are expecting from you the lan- 
guage of violence, they are to have only the 
"soft answer which turneth away wrath." But 
should even this fail to disarm their harshness, 
and it be your painful lot to encounter perseve- 
ring unkindness, and prejudice, and wrath, then 
cheer yourselves with the remembrance, that, if 
men are contentious, God is most merciful ; that 
if there is war upon earth, there is peace undis- 
turbed and unchangeable in heaven. The con- 
dition of some poor persecuted servants of the 
Redeemer may seem, indeed, to the outward 
eve. to be miserable. But contrast it with the 



:J20 SERMON XX. 

real condition of the unconverted sinner. i/Ie, 
indeed, may be soothed and cajoled for a season 
by the flattery and homage of a few poor worms 
like himself But he is at war with God. The 
Lord of Hosts is his enemy ; and the bolts of 
ruin are surely and rapidly preparing for his de- 
struction. On the contrary, it is your high pri- 
vilege to consider yourself, if a genuine Chris- 
tian, as the citizen of no mean country, as the 
follower of no doubtful leader, as the friend and 
the child of God, as the promised heir of the 
land " where the wicked cease from troubling, 
and the weary are at rest." The blood of the 
Redeemer has been shed for you. The spirit of 
your God has been poured out upon you. The 
'' covenant of peace" has been signed with you , 
and that covenant, unless by your own treachery 
or negligence, shall never be broken. Soon, very 
soon, my brethren, in the case of each individu- 
al, " earth, and the works that are therein, shall 
be burned up, and the element shall melt with 
fervent heat." " Then," says the gracious Mas- 
ter you serve, amidst that dissolution of matter, 
and that "crash of worlds," "Lift up your 
heads with joy, for your redemption draweth 
nigh." At that awful moment, my brethren, the 
only enduring peace shall be the " peace" 
which He gives to his people. Then will be ful- 
filled the glorious predictions : " The moun- 
tains shall depart, and the hills be removed ; 
but my kindness shall not depart from thee, nor 
my covenant of peace be removed." What, 
then, remains for every man ^among us, but as 
our first and greatest concern, to "acquaint 
ourselves with God, and be at peace?" To 
that state of acceptance he invites you — ^" God 
hath called you to peace." May you welcome 



J*R1V1LEGES OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. 321 

the offer ! And, touched with his goodness to 
yourselves, may you go forth to extend the like 
mercies to others ! May you " follow after the 
things which make for peace !" May you " live 
in peace ;" and may " the God of peace be 
with vou !" 



SERMON XXI* 



THE PRIVILEGES OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. 
|HEB. xii. 22—21. 

But ye are come unto Mount Sion^ and unto the city 
of the living God^ the heavenly Jerusalem^ and to 
an innumerable company of angels, to the general 
assembly and church of the First-born, which are 
written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and 
to (he spirits of just men made perfect, and to 
Jesus the Mediator of the neiv covenant, and to the 
blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than 
that of Abel. 

In the first verse of this chapter, the servant 
of God was introduced into the presence of a 
"cloud of witnesses;" who, having finished 
their course, are represented as surveying, from 
the seats of glory, the race and conflict in the 
world below. In the verses which immediately 
precede the text, he is conducted to the foot of 
Mount Sinai, and placed among the terrified 
multitude who there listened to the solemn pro- 
mulgation of the Law of Moses. In the text, the 
«ame stvle of imagery is emploved to produce a 



322 SERMON XXI. 

magnificent display of the privileges of the true 
Christian. The church militant on earth and 
triumphant in heaven, the " angels" with whom 
this church is to be associated for ever, the 
*' Judge of all," the " Mediator of the new cove- 
nant," are, as it were, collected into one vast 
assembly. And to this the Christian is introdu- 
ced, and assured that, by virtue of his union 
with Christ, he is united with all those in whose 
glorious presence he stands. — " Ye are come 
unto them." Ye, the servants of Christ, because, 
perhaps, neglected by the world, are disposed 
to consider yourselves forgotten of God. But, 
" lift up your eyes," and behold the splendid 
privileges connected even with your present cir- 
cumstances. The day which united you with 
Christ associated you with the great and shining 
assembly which you behold. You are a member 
of it. Their honours, their privileges, their joys, 
are all yours ; yours in life — yours in death — 
yours through all eternity. 

The general object, therefore, of the passage 
before us is to exhibit to us, in strong colours, 
the distinctions to which the true Christian is 
advanced ev^en in this stage of being. But let us 
endeavour to take a closer survey of the scene 
presented to us by the text, and in which our 
own interests and welfare are so deeply invol- 
ved. And may He who has thus discovered to 
us the joys of his true servants, mercifully assist 
us to approach so elevating a subject with suita- 
ble dispositions of mind ! 

I. " Ye ARE COME THEN," says the Apostle in 
the first place, " to Mount Sion, and unto the 

CITY OF the living GoD, THE HEAVENLY JERUSA- 
LEM." — In the verses before the text the Apos- 



PRIVILEGES OF THE TRUE CHRISTlAiV. 323 

lie had described the circumstances of the Jews 
when admitted to the foot of Mount Sinai to re- 
ceive the Law. In the words now read to you 
he contrasts the circumstances of the Christian 
with those of the followers of Moses. They, he 
says, were admitted to " Mount Sinai," — to " the 
mount that might be touched, and that burned 
with fire." You, as Christians, are admitted to 
that " heavenly mount," and to that '• city of the 
living God," described in the holy Scriptures, of 
which the Mount Zion upon earth, and the earth- 
ly Jerusalem, were mere types and emblems. 
To you who welcome the Saviour and his Gospel 
as your refuge and joy, is granted a participation 
in all the blessings connected in the volume of 
inspiration, with this celestial mount and city. 

Look, then, my Christian brethren, to the 
Scriptures themselves for a development of the 
privileges and blessings thus promised. 

"Zion" is described in holy writ as the 
peculiar seat and throne of the empire of God : 
" The Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Sion as 
his dwelling place," — " in Salem is his taberna- 
cle, and his dwelling in Sion." It was from Zion 
also the Gospel was to be proclaimed, and in 
Zion that Christ was to reign : " Out of Zion 
shall go forth the Law:" "1 have set my King 
upon my holy hill of Sion." Zion, moreover, is 
described as the peculiar object of the Divine 
regard : " The Lord loveth the gates of Zion 
more than all the dwellings of Jacob :" " The 
joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion." 

In like manner, that '• city" of the " liying 
God," which is elsewhere called the " New" and 
the " Holy Jerusalem," is described in the most 
magnificent phraseology, especially in the book rrl 



324 SERMON XXI. 

the Revelation of St. John. " He carried me 
away," says St. John, " in the spirit, to a great 
and high mountain, and shewed me that great 
city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of hea- 
ven from God, having the glory of God ; and her 
light was like unto a stone most precious, even 
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. And the 
city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, 
to shine in it; for the glory of the Lord did 
lighten it, and the lamb was the light thereof." 

When therefore it is said in the text, " Ye are 
come unto Mount Zion^ and unto the city of the living 
God, the heavenly Jerusalem,^'' it is meant that, if 
really the children of God, you are invested, 
even here, by the free mercy of God, with all 
the rites of a dweller on this spiritual mount, and 
a citizen of this heavenly city. Yowv life is not 
the mere life of " threescore years and ten," but 
a " life which is hid with Christ in God." Your 
proper inheritance is not a world cursed for the 
disobedience of its inhabitants, and " bringing 
forth thorns and thistles ;" but a world of un- 
mixed purity and happiness. It is your business, 
therefore, amidst your present trials, to contem- 
plate your reversionary joys. You are to look 
from earth to heaven, and remember that no joy 
granted to the inhabitants of heaven is denied 
to those serving the same Lord, and guided by 
the influence of the same sacred Spirit. 

But, my brethren, what a view of his own cir- 
cumstances does this statement present to the 
man who, though called to the rich inheritance 
of which we have been speaking, to this glori- 
ous " fellowship with God," with " his Son," and 
with his " angels," is still chained to the earth, 
is making this his home, and lavishing all the 



PRIVILEGES OP THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. 325 

powers and affections of his soul upon the follies 
and cares of a poor, fallen, fugitive world. Is 
this the condition of any to whom I am speaking ? 
We need no other evidence that you are wrong. 
The servants of the Redeemer may differ as to 
some other points ; but they have at least this 
one grand common characteristic, that their 
" heart is in heaven," because their " treasure is 
there." To them, this is the mere field on which 
the conflict for eternity is to be fought. They 
can no more consider it asxtheir home than the 
mariner can the tossing waters when the white 
cliflfe of his country are in view. If ye are " risen 
with Christ," your " affections" are " set on 
things above." 

On the other hand, what a cheering reflection 
it is to the true servant of God that his hopes 
and his joys are " laid up" where no storm can 
reach, and no enemy can assail them ! How en- 
couraging is the language in which the Scripture 
addresses him ! " 1, even I, am he that comforteth 
you : who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid 
of a man that shall die .'^" " In a little wrath 
have I hid my face from thee for a moment, but 
with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on 
thee." Strive then, my Christian brethren, to 
forget the moment of trial or suffering you may 
be required to spend upon earth, in the eternity 
which is preparing for you. Escape as often as 
possible on the wings of faith from this region of 
clouds and tempests, which is not your proper 
element. Endeavour to catch even here a 
glimpse of the towers and battlements of the 
heavenly city, of the green pastures, and Hving 
waters of the heavenly mount, for they are yours 
by promise — yours by inheritance — yours by 



326 SERMON XXI. 

the gift of God, and the purchase of a Redeemers 
blood; for "all things are yours," if "ye are 
Christ's," 

II. But secondly, it is said in the text, ye ."arc 

COME TO AN INNUMERABLE COMPANY OF ANGELS." 

It is true that, at the delivery of the Law, a host 
of angels attended the descent of the Almighty 
upon Mount Sinai. But then they attended 
only to deepen the terrors of the scene. Under 
the Gospel, you approach these heavenly mes- 
sengers under different circumstances. You 
approach them not to behold the " terrors of the 
Law," but to hear the promises of the Gospel. 
You come to them as benefactors, as friends, as 
those united to you by the common bonds of 
faith, and love, and devotion, and holy and ac- 
tive obedience to the God and Saviour of the 
world. — In the earliest ages of the church, the 
angels of God, we know, ministered openly to 
the heirs of salvation. An angel communicated 
with Abraham, and Gideon, and Manoah, and 
Joshua. An angel also visited the persecuted 
Prophet in the hour- of his loneliness and des- 
pair—conveyed the promises of God to Joseph, 
and Zachariah, and Mary, and Cornelius — res- 
cued Peter from his dungeon, and ministered 
to our Lord and Saviour in his temptation in 
the desert, and in his agony in the garden. 
And although this angelic ministry is no longer 
openly continued, we are nevertheless taught to 
believe that it exists, and that many of the bless- 
ings which fall on our daily path are shed from 
hands which have been lifted amidst the choirs 
of heaven in holy adoration to the God of all 
principalities and powers. As Christians, "ye 
are romefo this innvmernhie company of an^eh :" ye 



PRIVILEGES OF THE TRUE CHRISTIA\. 327 

are united to them by a bond which binds toge- 
ther every member of the happy iamily of God 
— " God hath gathered together in one all things 
in Christ, both which are in heaven and which 
are in earth." You are blended with them into 
one vast and harmonious society. The discord- 
ance necessarily existing between these pure 
spirits and the sinful inhabitants of a fallen 
w orld, is destroyed. Clothed in the merits, and 
washed in the blood, of the Redeemer, you no 
longer present to them that impurity with which 
their holy natures could hold no alliance. They 
discover in the redeemed of the Lord hearts 
blotted indeed by much imperfection, but yet 
impelled by the same principles, hopes, tastes, 
and affections with their own. Your song is at 
least the faint echo of theirs. Your Father is in 
every sense of the word their Father. Your 
God is their God. Touched by these consider- 
ations, although once they watched at the gate 
of the earthly paradise to prevent our entrance, 
now they bend from the golden walls of the 
heavenly city to invite you to a participation in 
joys of which they alone of all created beings 
know the fulness, the intenseness, and the per- 
petuity. 

And here again, my brethren, observe the 
practical bearing of this statement. Men of the 
world lay claim to all the privileges of the true 
Christian. But is there nothing in the subject 
we are now considering to repel that claim ? 
Try yourselves by the test now suggested. If you 
are associated with angels in their privileges, 
you must be associated with them in their spirit 
and character. Do your tastes and dispositions, 
then, bear anv resemblance to those of these 



328 SERMON XXI. 

happy spirits ? Have you any features*in com- 
mon with them? Can you discover in your- 
selves that germ, as it were, of angelic qualities, 
which needs merely the better atmosphere of 
heaven to bring it to maturity ? Suppose your- 
selves, with a heart devoted to this world, to ap- 
proach the abode of those pure and delighted 
spirits, and claim affinity with them, would they 
not turn from you as from one with whom they 
could hold no communion? Would they not 
shrink from the contemplation of tempers and 
dispositions as yet unknown in thejworld where 
they dwell, and hasten to search out in some 
higher region of infinite space a spot where it 
was impossible for defilement to follow them^ 
and where they might once more bask in the 
uninterrupted refulgence and purity of the Di- 
vine presence ? 

III. It is said, thirdly, by the Apostle, " Ye 

ARE COME TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND CHURCH 
OP THE FIRST BORN WHICH ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN, 
AND TO THE SPIRITS OF JUST MEN MADE PERFECT." 

— By the general assemby and church of the 
*^ first borrC are meant, I conceive, the universal 
church of God in heaven and upon earth, pil- 
grims in the world ; to whom this title is applied, 
because the " first born" w^ere always consider- 
ed as the peculiar property of God, and set apart 
for his service. — By the " spirits of the just made 
perfect^'' are probably meant those spirits al- 
ready separated from the body, purified from 
their earthly corruption, and prepared for glory; 
who are expecting the hour of resurrection — 
that happy hour, in which they shall be perfect- 
ed in holiness and joy in the immediate presence 
of their God and Saviour. To this company 



PKIVILEGES OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. li'I^ 

also, or to the real church of God on earth or iu 
heaven, the Christian is " come.'''' However the 
church of the Redeemer may be dispersed, how- 
ever various its features, however ignorant each 
member of that blessed assembly may be of the 
other, all are bound together by the same mys- 
terious influence. A strong but secret power 
impels every heart in this great society in the 
same direction, fills them with common sympa- 
thies, allies them each to the other, and all to 
God their Redeemer. Apply this subject, my 
Christian brethren, to the consolation of your own 
mind. It may be that you are rarely cheered 
with the voice of human friendship and love : 
you may find much resistance to your labours in 
"well doing:" you may hear little from the 
world but the accents of suspicion or hostility : 
and in these circumstances you are perhaps 
tempted, with the Prophet, to exclaim, "I alone" 
of all the Lord's servants " am left !" But great 
is the error involved in such a conception. As 
a Christian, you have millions of brethren, scat- 
tered indeed over the face of the globe, of many 
languages, and of differen'e complexions; but all 
known to God, all confederated to God, with 
yourself, and all ready to acknowledge and wel- 
come you at the great day of account. There 
sleeps in many a grave, by which you pass cold- 
ly or dejectedly, a brother spirit, who, when all 
merely worldly friendships are forgotten, or re- 
membered only as the alliances of delusion and 
ruin, shall rise to claim you at the bar of God as 
a friend of his bosom, as his glad associate and 
partner through the ages of eternity. The man 
of the world has often a multitude of enemies of 
whom he knows nothing : the Christian has in- 
2 T 



numerable friends, who, though withheld i'rom 
him for a time, shall be united to him for ever. 
Separated from each other in a state where mu- 
tual infirmity must impair the vigour of mu- 
tual attachment, and where no intensity of love 
can secure its endurance ; they shall be asso- 
ciated in the world where alone they can love 
perfectly, and love permanently : where the 
flame, kindled at the throne of God, shall burn 
brightly, and uninterruptedly, and for ever. 

IV. Fourthly, says the Apostle, "Ye are 
C0ME....TO God the Judge of all." In other 
words, you are admitted, through the interces- 
sion and atonement of a Redeemer, into the 
more immediate presence and friendship of the 
great God, — Contrast once more, my brethren, 
your circumstances as Christians, with those of 
the ancient people of Jehovah. They, at the 
delivery of the Law, trembled even to approach 
the mount from which God spake to them. 
They " could not even endure" the countenance 
of Moses, when lighted up by a single ray from 
the presence of God. But you, as Christians, 
may banish your fears. You have free access to 
God, by " the new and living way" which he has 
" consecrated to himself by the blood of his 
Son." You — because clothed, not merely in the 
garments of penitence and personal purity, but 
in the '• vesture of His righteousness" who is 
•• glorious in his apparel," and '• mighty to save" 
— are able to approach God fearlessly, even in 
his most awful character, — as the " Judge of all 
men." You are authorized to plead, not your 
unrighteousness, but the righteousness of the 
Saviour — not the doubtful purity of a fallen sin- 
ner^ but the holiness of an incarnate God. You 
possess, in '* the propitiation offered for your 



PRIVILEGES OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. 33 I 

own sins,^' and " the sins of the whole world," a 
holiness which justice itself cannot impeach, oi* 
the most perfect righteousness condemn. Jus- 
tified by faith in that atonement, jou shall be 
" presented" at the bar of eternal judgment " a 
glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, bv 
any such thing, but holy and without blemish." 

Let the man who has sunk awe-struck under 
the dread of the pure justice of God, describe, 
for he alone is able adequately to do so, tlic 
value of such promises and privileges as these. 
Those alone despise them who either think 
lightly of their offences, or who fancy, in the 
" Judge of all the earth," a Being whose pity is 
rather an infirmity than a virtue ; who will vio- 
late his own declarations 5 who scarcely hates 
sin, and will never punish it. But to such per- 
sons I would say. What though we deny or mis- 
represent God, " he is faithful, and cannot de- 
ny himself." What though now, as a screen for 
our vices, we distort his sacred image, we must 
"see him face to face" hereafter. We may, 
doubtless, during this moment of existence, veil 
to our own eyes, or those of others, the throne, 
and the book of life, and the judgment-seat, and 
even the great Judge himself; but, nevertheless, 
" the judgment shall be set, and the books shall 
be opened, and God shall judge e\ery man ac- 
cording to his works." Happy they who at that 
solemn day shall discover, in their " Judge," 
their Friend, their kind Shepherd, their tender 
and reconciled Fathefr. Happy they, who, be- 
fore " the night cometh when no man can work," 
shall " draw nigh to God ;" appeal from his jus- 
tice to his compassion — from the nothingness 
and corruption of man, to the all-sufficiency of 



332 SERMON XXI. 

a Redeemer. Happy those to whom he now 
says, *' Fear not, for I am with you ; be not dis- 
mayed, for 1 am your God ;" and whom he will 
eventually lodge in the '^ house of many man- 
sions," in his own tabernacle, in the seat of 
eternal tranquillity and cloudless joy. 

V, In the lifth and last place, it is said in the 
text, '' Ye are come unto Jesus, the Mediator of 

THE NEW covenant ; AND TO THE BLOOD OF SPRINK- 
LING, WHICH SPEAKETH BETTER THINGS THAN THAT 

OF ABEL." — It is indeed a privilege even to hear 
of the blessings and triumphs of the people of 
God. But are our privileges limited to this ? 
Are we condemned to look at these blessings as 
at objects beyond our reach and appropriation 
— as we contemplate those remote stars, which 
may be the bright inheritance of other beings^ 
but never can be ours. The Jews, indeed, had 
in Moses a mediator between God and them- 
selves ; and has the Christian no Mediator ? Let 
the text reply ; " Ye are come to Jesus, the Me- 
diator of the new covenant; and to the blood of 
sprinkling, which speaketh better things than 
that of Abel." You, as Christians, are united 
to Him of whom Moses was the mere shadow, 
and who is, in fact, the only real and efficient 
Mediator between God and man. Moses could 
indeed plead for mercy, but Jesus can confer it. 
Moses could desire the happiness of his coun- 
trymen; Jesus can secure it. Moses could point 
to the coming Saviour ; Jesus w as that Saviour. 
Moses could offer the blood which was typical 
of a better sacrifice ; Jesus shed the blood and 
offered the sacrifice thus typified. And this 
'' blood speaketh better things than that of AbeV 
'l^\\p ''blood of Abel cried," as we know, for 



PRIVILEGES OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. 333 

vengeance ; that of Jesus for mercj. The blood 
of Abel condemned a brother ; that of Jesus 
saved a world. Here, then, is the fact which 
alone gives value to every other statement in 
the verse before us. You, if real Christians, 
are " come" to Christ, and are united to him as 
" the Mediator of the new covenant." There- 
fore, and therefore alone, you are '' come to 
Zion," are associated with "' angels," with the 
church of the "first born" upon earth, with 
"the spirits of just men made perfect," and 
are admitted to the most intimate alliance with 
"God the Judge of all." Whenever, my Chris- 
tian brethren, you shall come to the bar of eter- 
nal judgment, you will there see much which is 
calculated to awe and to agitate the mind. You 
shall behold the book of remembrance, the ac- 
cusing angel, a God of spotless purity, and the 
'* pit whose smoke ascendeth for ever and ever." 
There also you may behold individuals who 
have long professed the Gospel, have perhaps 
even preached its truths and brought others to 
righteousness, consigned, for their own hypo- 
crisy or inconsistency, to eternal perdition ! In 
such circumstances, you may possibly tremble 
at the issue of the great trial to yourself But, 
if faithful to your Master, your fears shall soon 
be dispersed ; for you shall see, amidst the 
clouds of heaven, the " Lord in his glory," the 
Saviour " who has loved you, and washed you 
with his own blood." You shall see him, and 
find in him all that your soul needs. You shall 
discover on his feet, and on his hands, and upon 
his mangled brow, scars which, though terrible 
to the impenitent, shall be signs of hope, and 
peace, and joy to you. You shall at once escape 



334 SERMON XXI. 

from alarm and disquietude. Your sins shall 
be blotted from your memory, as thej are blot- 
ted from the book of God. Every part of na- 
ture shall indeed feel the stroke of that terrible 
hour — the stars shall be extinguished, the sun 
abandon his sphere, and the whole creation 
loosen into its original elements — but the church, 
redeemed by the blood of the Saviour out of 
-' every kindred, and tongue, and people, and 
nation," shall be " made kings and priests unto 
God for ever." The "voice which once shook the 
earth" shall say, "Fear not; I am the First and 
the Last : I am he that liveth and was dead, and 
behold I am alive for evermore ; and have the 
keys of hell and of death." 

Such, then, is the society to which the text 
introduces the true servant of God. Let us con- 
sider, m conclusion^ the bearing of this statementon 
two distinct classes of indivdiuals. 

1. And first, 1 would ask the man seeking his 
happiness in the worlds What have you in your 
earthly acquisition to oppose to the present and 
future blessings and triumphs of the church of 
God as displayed in the text ? Suppose your- 
self to be carried into a temple hung round with 
the spoils of pollution, or worldliness, or indiffer- 
ence : suppose an Apostle to be summoned, as 
in this passage, to exhibit to you the trophies 
won on the fields of this world's triumphs : what 
should we see, in such a case, that might be 
compared with the " Mount Zion," and the " city 
of the living God ;" with this intimate and eter- 
nal union with the '* spirits of the just," and the 
^•angels," and the" Mediator," and God the 
" Judge of all ?" Should we not, insiead of 
these, behold, on the one hand, present disap- 
pointment, vexation, and misery: and. on the 



i'RlVlLEGES OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN. SM) 

other, the " worm which will not sleep, and can- 
not die," and the lake of " unquenchable fire ?" 
May this contrast excite you, under God, to 
abandon the world, and enrol yourselves as citi- 
zens of heaven, and children of the great family 
of God ! O that I could obtain from every man 
a pledge that he would do so ; that he would 
" bow his knee to the God and Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ ;" for that intimate, close, 
and inseparable union with his Redemer, which 
might invest him with his infinite merits, and 
stamp him with his spotless image. Whose heart 
must not ache with the reflection, that, when 
such offers are made, a single deluded creature 
should be found to reject them ! "Awake," my 
brethren, " and arise ;" — " escape for your 
life ;" — " look not behind you ;" — vengeance is 
abroad ; — " make haste, and turn your feet unto 
the testimonies of God." 

2. Lastly, I would address myself to the true ser- 
vants of God. — To those I must say. Contemplate 
the grandeur of your destiny, as displayed to 
you in the text; and then consider the practical 
results which ought to arise out of your peculiar 
and privileged circumstances. Suppose your- 
selves already introduced into the august assem- 
bly we have been contemplating to-day. Could 
you, if you had seen its glories ; if you had trod 
the golden streets of the heavenly city, or breath- 
ed the air of the Mount of God, or had been en- 
throned amidst the powers and principalities of 
heaven, or had held deep converse with those hap- 
py spirits whom death has snatched away ; or had 
rejoiced in the light of the Divine presence; or 
had surveyed the glorified body of the Redeem- 
er seated on the Throne of his Father, and dis- 
pensing the blessings of the everlasting covenant. 



JJt) SERMON XXI. 

the crowns of pure gold, and the jewels of the 
sanctuary ; — could you turn from all this, and go 
back with the same zest to the follies and vices 
of life ? Could you again satisfy yourself with 
the lean ceremonial of a worldly life ; with soci- 
ety without love ; wdth habits of intercourse 
which go nigh to exclude God from his own 
world, which " crucify his Son afresh," which 
*' do despite to the Spirit of grace," which mag- 
nify this moment of existence into ages, and re- 
duce eternity to a shadow ? Could you aban- 
don heaven in all its glories, for the doubtful 
pleasures and certain miseries of a worldly life ? 
Would you not exclaim, if solicited to make this 
world your main pursuit, "This is not our 
home — we have here no abiding city — we seek 
the city whose builder and maker is God." Then, 
my Christian brethren, let your life, and spirit, 
and conversation prove to the world that such 
is the present conviction and resolution of your 
mind. For these things are as sure as though 
you had stood in the midst of the splendid as- 
sembly which the text presents to you. A single 
day may put you in possession of these joys for 
ever. Away, therefore, by the help of God, with 
all irresolution and half measures, and compro- 
misings with the world, and shiftings and eva- 
sions in religion. Seek, through the blood of a 
Saviour, pardon and grace, and " the inheri- 
tance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth 
not away." And may that Saviour prosper your 
endeavours ! May the " God of all grace, who 
hath called you to his eternal glory by Christ 
Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make 
you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you ! 
To Him be glory and dominion for ever and 
ever. Amen." 



SERMOiN XXll. 

THE LOVE OF AN UNSEEN SAVIOUR. 

1 PETER i. 8, 9. 

Whom having not seen ye love ; in whorii^ though 
now ye see him not^ yet believing^ ye rejoice with 
joy unspeakable and full of glory ; receiving the 
end of your faith^ even the salvation of your souls. 

If, in the midst of any large society, a parti- 
cular body of individuals were to appear, wlio 
were not merely exempt from the common cor^ 
ruptions of those around them, but adorned with 
new and extraordinary virtues, the general at- 
tention would be naturally directed to the in- 
quiry, ' By what master principle, or passion, 
these individuals were controlled or impelled/ 
Now this was precisely the case supplied by the 
new converts of the Gospel to the heathen 
around them. Their little company presented 
to the eye of the examiner, like the oasis in the 
desert, a region of fertility in the midst of sur- 
rounding barrenness. Their spirit of love, of for- 
bearance, of benevolence, of good order, of con- 
stancy in life and in death, was a subject of 
astonishment to every reflecting and conscien- 
tious bystander. 

What, then, was the master principle or passion 
of this peculiar body of individuals ? what w^as 
the frame of mind by which they were essential- 
ly distinguished from those around them ? The 
text enables us, not only to replv to this question. 

2 r 



338 SERMON XXII. 

but to point out the means by which their peculiar 
frame of mind may be secured, and the happy 
consequences by which it is followed. Let us, 
then, in dependence upon the aid of the Holy 
Spirit, endeavour to notice successively these 
three points : 

I. What, as described by the text, is the 

FRAME OF MIND IN A TRUE CHRISTIAN ; 

II. What are the means suggested of attain- 

ing TO that state ; 

III. What are the privileges of those who do 

attain to it. 
I. In the first place, we are to consider what 
IS described in the text as the frame of mind 
in a true christian. — The frame of mind refer- 
red to is suggested in these words ; " Whom ha- 
ving not seen^ ye love.''' It is described with the 
same explicitness by St. Paul; "The love of 
Christ constraineth us:" and by St. John; " We 
love him, because he first loved us." Love, 
then, to an invisible Lord and Saviour, appears 
to be the peculiar and governing principle in the 
mind of the Christian. He will have many feel- 
ings in common with others. He will be, for 
instance, as warm a friend, or patriot, or philan- 
thropist,*as any man. No heart will beat strong- 
er in every high and generous cause. His love 
to the Great Father of the Universe will trans- 
cend that of others, because he contemplates 
Him as " the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." But he will be distinguished from all 
others by this peculiarity, that the love of Him 
who died upon the cross for sinners, will become 
one of the master principles of his soul. How 
strongly do the witnesses already referred to 
condemn the want of this feeling ! " If anv man 



\. 



IHE LOVE OF CHRIS 1. X^^ 

love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be ana- 
thema maranatha." How strongly do they in- 
sist upon the universality of this affection in the 
mind of every real believer! "To them that 
believe He is precious." Here is no exception, 
my brethren, for the man of this temperament 
or of that, of one age or of another, for the pub- 
lic or the private character, the rich or the poor, 
the great or the humble, the learned or unlearn- 
ed. From all the tribute of affection is claimed. 
Without it, the services of religion are treated as 
the mere carcass without the spirit; the altar 
without the fire ; the temple without the glory. 

In this point of view, then, my Christian bre- 
thren, how wide is the spirit of the world from 
the temper of the genuine servant of God ! In 
some cases, the mere expression of love to the 
Redeemer is deemed a sufficient evidence of en- 
thusiasm. And how many, even of those who 
would shrink from uniting in any such assault 
upon an obvious principle of Scripture, yet vio- 
late this principle through every hour of their 
existence ! In how many cases, for example, is 
the love of Christ a mere name for an affection 
of the mind to which men are utterly strangers I\ 
What single evidence of this love do their con- 
versations, or lives, or tempers present ? "Out 
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak- 
eth." Do they speak of this Saviour ? Is their 
life conformed to his will ? Are their disposi- 
tions modelled by his example ? Do they de- 
light in his presence, his house, his word, his 
ordinances ? Is it not the fact, that, not only is 
not the unseen Saviour the object of their affec- 
tion, but that notliing " unseen" is valuable to 
them ? that, whilst the Christian " endures as 



:i40 bEUMON XXli. 

seeing Him that is invisible," the man of the 
world subsists altogether on the things of sense 
and passion ; upon the " lusts of the flesh, the 
lust of the eye, and the pride of life ?" If I am 
speaking to persons of this class on the present 
occasion, let me ask whether you are not con- 
scious, that, while the world exercises a most 
commanding influence over you, your heart 
scarcely ever turns to the Saviour of sinners — to 
his Cross, to his living tenderness, and dying 
anguish ? Can religion such as this be accepta- 
ble to God? If we are to be "followers" of the 
Apostles — *' followers" of any who, under the 
Gospel dispensation, " through faith and pa- 
tience inherit the promises ;" if we are to be 
'• built upon the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief 
corner-stone ;" can it be endured that our reli- 
gion should be defective as to the one grand 
leading feature, as to the very soul and living 
principle by which the whole is to be animated ? 
In insisting upon the love of Christ as an essen- 
tial element in your religion, remember that I 
am not asking of you the reception of some 
doubtful or inoperative dogma. 1 am not press- 
ing upon your attention the idle novelties or cu- 
riosities of theology. But I am asking that for 
^^'hich no substitute can be offered, and no apo- 
logy can be received. "Other foundation can 
no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus 
Christ." The language of St. John, to those he 
loved the best, was, " Little children,?keep your- 
selves from idols." And it is the language I 
would address to my own heart and to yours ; 
" Keep yourselves from idols." Cast from the 
heart everv image or object which is calculat- 



THK LOVE OF CHRIS 1 . M I 

ed to wean the'soul from Christ, or to interpose 
any barrier between the Saviour and the sinner 
he has died to save. Look with less eagerness 
on the things of time and sense. Fix your eyes 
upon the spectacle of a crucified Saviour ; and 
call upon him to fulfil his own promise, " And I, 
if I be lifted up, will draw men unto me." With 
the poor afflicted woman in the Gospel, " lay 
hold of his garment;" with John, take refuge in 
" his bosom ;" with Mary, linger about his tomb ; 
and, with her, let it be the sorrow of your heart 
if he seem but for a moment to be withdrawn 
from you : " They have taken away my Lord, 

and I know not where they have laid him if 

thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou 
hast laid him, and I will take him away." 

II. But, secondly, in order to the attainment 
of this frame of mind, let us observe by what 

-MEANS OR MEDIUM IT IS REPRESENTED IN THE TEXT 
AS CONVEYED TO THE MIND. " Thougk UOW^'' SayS 

the Apostle, " we see him not^ yet^ believing — ." 
Beliefs then, or faiths is represented in the text 
as the means or medium by which the love of 
an unseen Saviour is conveyed to the soul. 

It might have pleased God, that every thing 
which respects the Saviour of the world might 
have become the object, not of " faith" but of 
*• sight." In fact, at his first appearance in the 
flesh, much that is now the object of belief was 
the object of sense. They saw his person ; they 
heard his voice: they had many visible proofs 
of his wisdom, and power, and love. Still, how- 
ever, even they were required to reason from 
things visible to things invisible — from things 
which they themselves had " seen and handled," 
to truths to be received on the testimonv of 



342 ' SERMON XXli. 

God. And after the death of Christ, the visible 
testimony every day abated. Contrast the lan- 
guage even of St. John and St. Paul ; the one a 
companion of Christ, and the other converted 
after his death. " That which v*^e have heard,"' 
says St. John, " which we have seen, which we 
have looked upon, and our hands have handled 
of the Word of Life, write we unto you." " We 
walk," says St. Paul, " by faith, not by sight" 
And, now that the lapse of years has carried us 
farther from the period of the first advent of 
Christ, faith has more and more superseded, and 
taken the place of sight. So that the words of 
the text precisely describe our circumstances ; 
•' In him, though now ye see him not^ yet believingJ^' 
Faith, therefore, is the medium by which the 
knowledge and love of the unseen Saviour are 
conveyed to the soul. It is by receiving the 
" record that God hath given of his Son ;" it is by 
welcoming the letter, and inhaling the spirit, of 
the Book in which the words, and acts, and 
sufferings of Jesus are recorded ; it is by follow- 
ing with the eye of faith through every part of his 
varied history, from the manger to the mourn- 
ful top of Calvary ; it is by listening with the ear 
of faith to his doctrines, his precepts, and his 
promises : it is by having these " records" of 
the Son of God written by the finger of the 
Spirit upon the " fleshy tables of the heart," that 
we must now altogether learn to love, to trust, 
and to obey him, whom we " have not seen," and 
cannot see. Your state, therefore, as a Chris- 
tian, is in the highest degree peculiar. Though 
living amidst the objects of sense, you are to 
•^ walk by faith, not by sight." You are to look 
through the " things which are seen and are tern- 



THE LOVE OF CHRIST. 343 

poral," to the " things which are unseen and 
eternal." You are to become, even here, the 
creatures, and, if I may so speak, the spectators, 
of an invisible world. You are to look over the . 
barriers of time and sense, into the region be- 
yond them both. By " believing" what you can- 
not behold, you are to " see the King in his 
beauty, and the land that is very far off;" to learn 
the value of Christ, to appropriate his merits to 
yourself; and, by reliance upon his power and 
love, to live in peace, die in hope, and enter into 
glory. — " -How," ask the disciples of our Lord, 
" how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, 
and not unto the world .'^" and he replies, "/ 
will come imto you^ and abide with you." And 
this is his promise to the church in all ages. 
' When thou dwellest in devout meditation over 
the pages of my word, " I will come unto you." 
When thou goest alone to thy chamber, to pour 
out thy secret and earnest supplications for par- 
don and grace, " I will come unto you." When 
thou unitest thy song or thy prayer with the 
body of faithful worshippers in the " great con- 
gregation," I will stand " in the midst of you." 
When thou kneelest in prostration of soul at my 
table, I will be " known to thee in breaking of 
bread." When thou " searchest" for me '^ as 
for hid treasure," I will send my Spirit, and " he 
shall take of mine, and shew it unto you." Thou 
hast already seen something of the goodness 
and greatness of God, in nature and in provi- 
dence. " Thou shalt see greater things than 
these." The Spirit of God shall reveal to thee 
things invisible to eyes he has not opened. He 
shall shew thee the " plague of thine heart :'* 
thine utter insufficiency either to atone for sin . 



Ji4 .^£KiMO.\ XXll. 

or to resist its dominion ; the patience, the 
pity, the tender love, of thy God and Saviour. 
He shall display to thee the terrors of hell and 
the glories of heaven, the rack of punishment 
and the thrones of joy : and display them with 
such power to the soul, that, touched, affected, 
and subdued, thy proud heart shall give way : 
thou shalt acknowledge thy guilt, and plead for 
mercy, and welcome the Saviour, and find 
peace and joy in his love, and " walk in the 
comfort of the Holy Ghost," and have a " new- 
song put into your mouth, even thanksgiving unto 
our God."' 

Take, my brethren, the Scriptural view of the 
truths I have been endeavouring to state to you. 
The love of Christ is not of earthly growth — the 
fruit of mere philosophy, or learning, or medita- 
tion, however valuable and necessary these may 
all be in their proper place. Still less is it the 
offspring of fancy, of feverish dreams, of visible 
or palpable impulses, of sounds and sights act- 
ing on the bodily senses. But it is the gift of 
God, and the sacred fruit of faith in Scripture ; 
of faith founded on the word of eternal truth, 
and applied by the Spirit of God to the under- 
standing and heart. You will search for it in 
vain in the schools of mere worldly wisdom. 
'* Faith Cometh by hearing, hearing by the word 
of God ;" and, through that word, is " the love of 
God shed abroad in our hearts." To what un- 
speakable importance, my Christian brethren, 
do these simple considerations elevate prayer, 
and the study of the Scriptures, and the church, 
and the Sabbath, and the holy Sacrament, and 
every prescribed means of grace ! Faith may 
be bestowed bv other means, because nothing: 



THE LOVE OP CHRIST. 345 

is impossible with God ;'' but in the due use of 
these is it alone to be sought or expected. To be 
expecting a miracle, when we are required only to 
believe a promise, is the error of the wildest 
fanaticism. Let your language and spirit be that 
of the Psalmist : " Thou saidst unto me, Seek ye 
my face : my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, 
ivill I seeky 

III. But I come, thirdly, 'to consider the hap- 
piness OF THOSE LIVING IN THE FRAME OF MIND WE 
HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING. HoW pOWCrfully is it 

described in the text ! " In w hom, though now 
ye see him not.... ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and 
full of glory /^ and "^c receive the end ofyourfaith^ 
even the salvation of your souls^ 

1. The happiness of this frame of mind is first 
described in these words ; " ye rewice with joy un- 
speakable and full of glory,'''' — The statement here. 
let it be observed, is not merely, " ye shall re- 
joice," but " ye do rejoice." The joy shall in- 
deed be perfected in heaven, but shall begin 
here. Nor does the Apostle consider this joy as 
easy, either of Conception or description; but 
calls it " unspeakable :" " Eye hath not seen, 
nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the 
heart of man to conceive the things which God 
hath prepared for them that love him." Nor 
does he treat of it as partaking of the hollo wness 
and emptiness of worldlv joys, but as '^/w//." 
In that " presence" which the Christian is per- 
mitted even here to anticipate, is " fulness of 
joy," and at that " right hand are pleasures for 
evermore." — And, moreover, it is said to be joy, 
"/m// of glory,^^ It is a joy allied to that of the 
spirits in glory. It is radiant within and with* 
»ut with the glories and splendour of an invisi- 



3d6 SERMON XXII. 

ble world. What is the language of those who 
in this life, and in the midst of the deepest world- 
ly distresses, have onlj tasted of this joy? 
" Whom have I in heaven but Thee ! and there 
is none upon earth that I desire in comparison 
of Thee. My heart and my strength faileth, but 
God is the strength of my heart, and my portion 
for ever." And what is the conduct of these pri- 
vileged individuals Y They " glory in tribula- 
tion :" they " take pleasure in reproaches and 
persecutions for Christ's sake :" they " take joy- 
fully the spoiling of their goods :" they " sing 
praises" in a dungeon : they pray for their mur- 
derers : they smile at death. In the midst of the 
furnace of trial and affliction, they have not only 
»* one like unto the Son of man," but the Son of 
man Himself, walking among them and shelter- 
ing them ; and they " count not their lives dear 
unto them," if only they may win his favour, and 
live and rejoice in his presence for ever. 

2. But, again, it is said of the servants of God 
in the text, "ye receive the end of your faith^ even 
the salvation of your souls^ — Here again observe, 
the expression is not merely, " ye shall receive," 
but, " ye do receive the salvation of your souls." 
Even here, the Christian, though perhaps deep- 
ly tried, is often indulged with foretastes of hea- 
venly happiness. Even here, where he may 
perhaps have little of this world's good, he shall 
have many of the fruits of the " tree of life" scat- 
tered upon his path. And, my Christian bre- 
thren, if even in this vale of tears the servants of 
God find so much of calm and repose, such 
strength amidst the struggles of life, so much to 
brighten the dark steps of their earthly pilgrim- 
age ; what shall be their joy when their Lord 



THE LOVE OP CHRIST. 347 

hath ascended the car of victory, and "trodden 
all enemies under his feet?" If such is the 
porch, what shall be the temple in which the 
Christian shall dwell for ever ; of which he shall 
be " made a pillar, and go no more out ;" and 
" reign with him for ever and ever ?" What, I 
may boldly ask, what is, in comparison with 
thiis, worth living for? Crown a man to-day, 
and he may be a corpse to-morow. The flow- 
ers on our brows at one moment, may be scatter- 
ed over our tomb at another. " SalvatiorC'* is the 
one great end to which every power and faculty 
should be directed. All else is but a means to 
that end ; a mere stepping-stone to that high 
dignity ; a mere scaffolding for that everlasting 
habitation, of which God himself is the light and 
glory. And this salvation is both offered and 
secured to every believer in the Son of God; 
and secured upon an immoveable foundation, the 
" immutable oath and promise" of the God who 
is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." 
Yes, take the full benefit of your circumstances, 
ye contrite servants of God. " These things say 
we unto you that your joy may be full." You 
may be visited by sickness, by poverty, by per- 
secution, by suspicion, by unkindness ; and thus 
daily " sow in tears ;" but if you are " going 
forth" into the difficulties of life, " bearing" . 
along with you " the seed," of genuine repen- 
tance, and failh, and love, " ye shall doubtless 
come again rejoicing, bringing your sheav-es 
with you." " The ransomed of the Lord shall 
return, and come again to Zion with songs and 
everlasting joy upon their heads : they shall ob- 
tain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing 
shall flee away." Surely, my brethren, it may 



348 SERMON XXII. 

be said of individuals so circumstanced, " Hap- 
py are the people who are in such a case ; yea, 
blessed are the people who have the Lord for 
their God !" 

In conclusion, allow me to make two observa- 
tions. 

1. In the first place, how obvious is it, from the 
language of the text, that real religion is not to be 
associated with gloom and misery,-^ — Who is not 
aware of the attempt of the enemies of religion 
to charge upon it consequences of which it is 
guiltless ; and, by distorting its form, and dis- 
colouring its complexion, to render it odious, es- 
pecially in the eyes of the young ? My Chris- 
tian brethren, beheve them not. The language 
of religion is, " Rejoice, and again I say rejoice." 
Look, my young friends, for a moment, at the 
view presented to you by the Evangelist of the 
city of Philippi. From what house, and what 
chamber in that house, and from what indivi- 
duals inhabiting it, does the song of gratitude 
arise, even amidst the darkness of midnight? 
Is it from the chambers of worldly dissipation, 
and vanity, and ambition ? No : there perhaps 
the revelry is over, and the disappointed guests 
have sunk to feverish and disturbed slumbers. 
It is in the " prison" and in its "innermost dun- 
geon," and from prisoners with their " feet fast 
in the stocks," that the notes of joy are heard : 
" At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed, and sang 
praises unto God; and the prisoners heard 
them." The other prisoners — those captives who 
were ignorant of Christ, whose minds were 
*' fast bound in" the " misery and iron" of cor- 
ruption and idolatry — " heard them," but were 
unable to echo back the song of gratitude and 



THE LOVE OP CHRIST. 349 

joy. And it is thus in the daily history of the 
Church of Christ. With " the joy of the Chris- 
tian," the "• stranger intermeddleth not." None 
can share his happiness, who are strangers to his 
Lord : none can unite in his song of gratitude, 
who do not unite in his prayer of lowliness and 
contrition to " Him who loved us, and washed 
us from our sins in his own blood." Give no 
heed, therefore, my brethren, to those calumni- 
ators of the Gospel, who would treat it as the 
natural source of disquietude and gloom. ''The 
secret of the Lord is with the righteous;" and 
thev have a joy which " the world can neither 
give nor take away." I know it is said, " Blessed 
are they who mourn^^ for sin; but, then, this 
mourning is prescribed only as a means to joy. 
To know our guilt, indeed, without knowing the 
Saviour of the guilty, is a source of the keenest 
disquietude ; but, let the " Sun of Righteousness 
arise" upon us, and he rises with " healing on 
his wings." ll is for those who have sought and 
found mercy through this compassionate Re- 
deemer, to change the " spirit of heaviness," for 
the " garments of praise" and joy. It ill be- 
comes you, if thus accepted of God, to carry 
about with you a dejected heart or troubled 
countenane. Released from bondage, it is not 
for you, if I may so speak, to wear the prison 
suit. You are to bear witness to the value of 
religion by your calmness, and cheerfulness, and 
joy. You are to win others to religion, " not 
merely by telling them " what you shall be," 
but by showing them what you " are." You are 
to rejoice as men " receiving the end of their 
faith, even the salvation of their souls." 



350 SERMON XXIL 

2. In conclusion : My Christian brethren, how 
strong a motive is supplied by the text for a de- 
vout participation in that holy feast to which we 
are invited to-day ! * If a superiority may be 
claimed for one means of grace over another, as 
to its fitness for bringing us to Christ, surely that 
claim may be confidently advanced for the Sa- 
crament of the Lord's Supper. If ever we may 
expect the Saviour to be present, it surely is 
when we are fulfilling his dying injunction, and 
" doing this in remembrance of him." O what 
blessings are those wasting, whose habits of life 
will not allow them to come to this holy feast, or 
who come in a wrong state and spirit ! And what 
privileges are those enjoying, who approach 
this table as the Lord of the feast would have 
them ! " I have no greater joy," says the disci- 
ple whom Jesus especially loved, " than to hear 
that my children walk in truth." And may not 
1, my brethren, be permitted, with much humili- 
ty, to adopt language something like his, and to 
say, 1 have few greater joys, than to see you, to 
whom God has so intimately allied me, come to 
that table contrite, and believing, and rejoic- 
ing ? Would to God that we had as many low- 
ly, devout, and affectionate communicants as 
there are individuals among us — that not a mem- 
ber of this congregation should arise to turn his 
back upon this sacred feast to-day — that every 
person thus communicating, might imbibe, with 
the sacramental food, the spirit of him whose 
body and blood is the symbol ! Unite with me 
in fervent prayer, my brethren, that our love to 
God may deepen and brighten every hour : that 

* The holy Sacrament. 



THE christian's FINAL TRIUMPH. 351 

©ur charity and tenderness to each other may 
take a wider scope and a deeper root in our na- 
ture. May we be enabled to nail every lust, and 
passion, and temper, to the cross of the Saviour. 
May " mercy and truth" descend on the lot of our 
inheritance, and make it their temple and throne, 
and the "joy of the whole earth." And, finally, 
may " the God of peace, that brought again from 
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd 
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlast- 
ing covenant, make you perfect ni every good 
work to do his will, working in you that which 
is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesu? 
Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever." 



SERMON XXIII. 



THE CONFLICT AND THE TRIUMPH OF THE CHRIS- 
TIAN. 

REV. iii. 12. 

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar jn the tem- 
ple of my God ; and he shall go no more out ; and 
I will write upon him the name of my God^ and the 
name of the city of my God^ which is JVew Jerusa- 
lem^ which cometh down out of heaven from my 
God : and 1 wiU write upon him my new name. 

It is often our duty, in order to obtain a more 
familiar acquaintance with the habits and dispo- 
sitions of the true servant of God, to follow him 
through the various stages of his earthly pilgrim- 
age. But these are not the only circumstances 



352 SERMON XXUI. 

in which we are allowed to contemplate his 
course. It is our privilege, and a privilege of 
the highest value, in those moments especially 
when the heart is in danger of fainting under the 
trials of life, to follow the servant of the Re- 
deemer from earth to heaven : to enter with 
him, as far as the light of Scripture will enable 
us, behind the veil, and survey the regions of 
his rest and glory. Such is my wish on the pre- 
sent occasion. And, in order to approach this 
lofty contemplation in a suitable frame of mind, 
let us earnestly supplicate the presence and aid 
of that Spirit, who alone can " take of Christy 
and shew them" to the soul. 

It is my intention, in examining the striking 
passages of Scripture before us, to consider, 

I. The quALiFicATiON for heaven insisted 

UPON IN THE TEXT ; and, 
II. The promises to those possessed of 

THIS QUALIFICATION. 

I. In the first place, we are to consider the 

QUALIFICATION INSISTED UPON IN THE TEXT. It is 

stated in that single expression, " Him that over- 
comet h.'^^ 

In proceeding to examine the force of this ex- 
pression, it is scarcely necessary to premise, that 
the word " overcoming''^ is not here employed in 
the sense of the complete defeat and extirpa- 
tion of every infirmity of our fallen nature. If 
the final destiny of a fallen world were depend- 
ent upon a victory thus entire, our present por- 
tion must be despair, and our future inheritance 
unchangeable misery. But hoih fact and Scripture 
appear to warrant the persuasion that infirmity 
clings to us in every stage of our earthly exis- 
tence. Such is the testimony of fact ; for no 



THE christian's FIiVAL TRIUMPH. 355 

examiner has yet discovered the faultless man. 
And a simple passage of Scripture^ found in the 
mouth of the man to whom, if to any fallen crea- 
ture, the epithets of ''■ holy, harmless, and unde- 
filed," might seem to belong, appears to me de- 
cisive of the question: "I count not myself," 
says St. Paul, " to have apprehended ; but this 
one thing I do. Forgetting those things which 
are behind, and reaching forth unto those things 
which are before, I press toward the mark for 
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ 
Jesus." And then he adds remarkably ; " Let 
us, therefore, as many as be perfect^ be thus mind- 
ed ;" whence, surely, it is reasonable to infer, 
that the perfection of the Christian in the pre- 
sent world consists, not in " sinlessness," but in 
a strong sense of his present defects, and an earn- 
est and indefatigable pursuit of higher attain- 
ments — of the love, the faith, the lowliness, the 
obedience, which are the living and essential 
elements of the Christian character. — I have ad- 
verted to this point, my Christian brethren, not 
from a desire to provoke controversy, and still less 
to give any warrant to coldness and remissness in 
duty; but in order tocheer those lowly and afflict- 
ed servants of God who refuse all the consolations 
of the Gospel till they shall reach some point of 
theoretical and visionary perfection. "The in- 
fection of our nature," say the Articles, " doth 
remain, yea, even in them that are regenera- 
ted." " If we say we have no sin," says that Holy 
Volume, of which the formularies of our Church 
are so close a transcript, " we deceive ourselves, 
and the truth is not in us." The privilege of the 
children of God, therefore, is not to be "sin- 
le<;p." hut to be washed in the "blood which 
2 Y 



35'1 SERMON XXIIi. 

cleanseth from all" the guilt of " sin,'' and to 
be sanctified by that Spirit who is every day ex- 
tinguishing its power. 

But, lest this explanation of what is not meant 
by the term " overcometh" should seem to give 
any licence to indolence or self-complacency ; 
let us endeavour, next, to consider its real mean- 
ing. 

I. In the first place, then, the term evidently 
implies a struggle and conflict. — It cannot, even in 
the lowest sense of the word, be affirmed of an 
individual, that he " overcomes," who does not 
" harness himself for the battle," or enter into 
the fight. Every part of Scripture, accordingly, 
calls the servant of God to a contest, full of dan- 
ger, with inward corruption and outward trial. 
He is to " endure hardness, as the good soldier 
of Jesus Christ." He is to remember that be 
fights, not merely " with flesh and blood," bat 
'' with principalities and powers, and spiritual 
wickedness in high places." And, in order to 
meet the exigencies of such a struggle, he is to 
" put on the whole armour of God." A consi- 
derable portion of a whole Epistle is employed 
in describing the Christian hero thus arming for 
the battle, and going forth, under the banner of 
the Cross, to the contest with his spiritual 
enemies. And great must be his misconception 
of the corruptions of his own heart, of the de- 
mands of Scripture, and of the number and ma- 
lignity of his spiritual enemies, who does not dis- 
cover the severity of this contest, and his need 
of this armour. — You who would inherit the pro- 
raises of the text, must beware of casting your- 
selves into the lap of sloth and indulgence. 
You have much to accomplish, and but a little 



IHE christian's final XRIUAIA'H. 35.') 

interval in which to accomplish it. The trump 
of the Gospel has sounded to arms, and you are 
to quit the camp, to go forth, and give battle 
to the enemy. " Woe to them that are at ease 
in Zion !" 

2. But again, the term " overcometh" implies 
daily advancement and success, — The Christian is 
a man not merely contending, but successfully 
contending. He has not only entered on the 
enemy's country, but is daily gaining new vic- 
tories over him. To this effect are the injunc- 
tions and declarations of the Apostle : " Fight the 
good fight of faith :" " Lay hold on eternal life ;" 
*^ Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our 
God and Saviour." If, therefore, the text de- 
scribes your case, you are not to be found as the 
soldier on parade, continually treading the same 
ground ; but as a soldier on the march, or in the 
field, making the outposts of yesterday the 
trench of to-day, and hurrying onward till the 
inmost citadel is won. " There is yet much 
land," said Joshua to his lingering countrymen, 
" to be possessed in Israel." Many streams 
were to be forded, many mountains to be scaled, 
and many fair and fertile regions to be added 
to the territory of the people of God. And thus 
should we still say to the lingering and halting 
soldiers of the Cross : Much land is yet to be 
possessed in Israel: many tempers are to be 
subdued, many lusts bridled, many appetites 
quenched. A fair and fertile region, a land of 
green pastures and still waters, stretches before 
you, and invites you to go forward. As yet, 
perhaps, you know comparatively little of the 
pleasures of religion, of the " light sown for the 
righteous," and " the gladness of the upright in 



356 5KRM0.N XXUi. 

heart :" of the •* lively hope" to which the Chris- 
tian is "begotten again by the resurrection of 
his Lord from the dead;" of the " righteousness 
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." You 
are not yet able to say, " I will go unto the altar 
of God; unto God, my exceeding joy :" "I will 
offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy:" " Be- 
lieving, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and 
full of glory." " How long," then, I would ask 
with the leader of the Jews, " How long are ye 
slack to go in to possess the land which the Lord 
God of your fathers hath given you .'^" The sol- 
diers of the Lord must go forward, till, having 
subdued every enemy in one world, they rise on 
angels' wings to possess themselves of the glories 
of another. 

3. But a third feature of the man who " over- 
cometh" is perseverance, — His religion is not the 
mere meteor of the moment, extinguished al- 
most as soon as kindled. Herod for a time heard 
John gladly : Felix trembled : the apostate De- 
mas followed for a season in the train of the true 
servants of the redeemer. But religion demands 
something more than this transient service. 
How explicit is the language of Scripture! "Be 
ye followers of them who through faith andjoa- 
tience inherit the promises :" " He that endureth 
to the end, shall be saved :" " Be faithful unto 
death, and I will give thee a crown of life." 
Perseverance^ my Christian brethren, may be 
called the last and best triumph of grace in the 
soul. It is not perhaps in the infancy of religion, 
when it comes to us in all the bloom and fresh- 
ness of novelty — in that spring-time of our 
spiritual existence, when the flowers of hope 
and iov are often scattered so richlv over our 



THE christian's FINAL TRIUMPH. 357 

path — it is not then, in every case at least, the 
course of the Christian is most difficult. It is, 
perhaps, when all that is pleasing to the natur- 
al man has vanished ; when the novelty has 
passed away ; when the voice of love and ten- 
derness, which first cheered us on our way to 
Zion, is silent; when many prospects of useful- 
ness have closed ; when, perhaps, we have been 
made to feel that it is rather by suffering than 
doing, we are to win our way to heaven ; when 
our motives have been misrepresented, our prin- 
ciples traduced, and our zeal and love requited 
with neglect or scorn : — then it is that our reli- 
gion is especially in danger of flagging, and 
the chilled and disappointed heart of growing 
'' weary in well-doing." But the man who final- 
ly overcometh, will, notwithstanding all this, 
" persevere." He will set his face like a flint 
against corruption; will " resist, even unto blood, 
the contradiction of sinners" against the Master 
he loves ; will be able to adopt something of the 
language of the Apostle, '' By honour and dis- 
honour, by evil report and good report ; as de- 
ceivers, and yet true ; as unknown, and yet well 
known ; as dying, and behold we live ; as chas- 
tened, and not killed ; as sorrowful, yet always 
rejoicing ; as poor, yet making many rich ; as 
having nothing, and yet possessing all things ;" 
and again, " I count not my life dear unto my- 
self, so that 1 might finish my course with joy. 
and the ministry which I have received of the 
Lord Jesus." 

But, my brethren, it is impossible to dwell 
longer on this part of our subject, without un- 
duly abridging our examination of that which is 
the more especial object of this discourse. 



3bb aEKlVlON XXUi. 

II. Let us, then, proceed to consider, second- 
ly, THE PROMISES ADDRESSED IN THE TEXT TO 
THE VICTORIOUS SERVANTS OF THE REDEEMER. " Him 

that overcometh," says our Lord, " will I make 
a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall 
go no more out : and I vv^ill write upon him the 
name of my God, and the name of the city of 
my God, which is New Jerusalem, which Com- 
eth down out of heaven from my God ; and will 
write upon him my new name." 

L In the first place, it is here said that the 
successful Christian shall be " made a pillar in 
the temple of his God^ — The whole of the ima- 
gery in the text is probably borrowed from the 
practice, in ancient times, of erecting pillars, in 
honour of the achievements of distinguished indi- 
viduals, in or near the temples of their false 
gods. In like manner, it is here said that the 
Christian shall be erected as a pillar of triumph 
in the temple of the true and living God. In 
this world the servant of the Redeemer may be 
a mere outcast in society. He may toil, and 
want, and suffer; may '^rise early" to "eat 
the bread of carefulness," and sink to rest upon 
the hard and rugged bed of poverty. Or he 
may wander with the poor Arab of the desert; 
or tremble amidst the snows of the Pole; or 
linger out a dreary existence in the cheerless 
and sunless hut of the western savage. The 
Gospel may, in short, find him in the lowest 
depths of want and suffering. Nevertheless, "he 
that overcometh shall be made a pillar in the 
temple of God." That poor outcast, if a true 
servant of Christ, shall be stripped of his rags 
and wretchedness, and be raised as a pillar of 
ornament in the temple of the Lord. Great, my 



THE christian's FINAL TRIL'MPH. 359 

Christian brethren, will be the changes and re- 
verses of the last solemn day : " the first shall be 
last, and the last first." The wicked shall at 
once shrink to their proper nothingness; but 
the contrite and believing shall participate in 
the glories of their Lord. They shall be plant- 
ed in the temple of God. The " one thing they 
desire upon earth" shall be granted them: 
" they shall behold the fair beauty of the Lord, 
and dwell in his temple." They shall live in 
his presence — they shall hear his voice— they 
shall mingle their songs with the redeemed — 
they shall proclaim the glory of " the Crucified" 
for ever and ever — they shall " see the King in 
his beauty, and the land that is very far off!" 

2. Again : it is said of the triumphant Chris- 
tian in the text, he " shall go no more ouV'' — In 
this world, my brethren, change and decay are 
stamped on every thing around us. Our choic- 
est blessings are suspended on the slenderest 
threads. The man this morning lifting to hea- 
ven a head lofty as the cedar, and spreading 
forth his green branches on every side, may ere 
night be struck by the fires of heaven, and lie 
blasted and lifeless on the plain. And even 
our spiritual joys partake in some measure of 
the same fluctuating character. How, great for 
instance, are apt to be the ebb and flow of the 
religious affections ! How soon is the ardour of 
devotion chilled ! How difficult is it to sustain 
the vigour of our first love! How does the 
body seem to hang upon the soul, and to chain 
it to earth when it is soaring to heaven ! But 
the Christian, exalted to be a " pillar in the 
temple of his God," shall " go no more out." 
The sun of his jovs shall never 2:0 down. The 



360 StlRMON XXllL 

well-spring of his comforts shall never fail. The 
joys of one moment shall be the joys of eternity. 
Once lodged in the bosom of his Father, no force 
shall drag him from it. Inseparably united to 
God, he shall eternally participate in the plea- 
sures which are at His right hand. He shall 
" shine as a star in the firmament for ever and 
ever." 

3. Again: it is said, '' I will write on him the 
name of my God.'''' — It was customary to write on 
the pillars of victory to which we have already 
referred, the name of the false god in whose 
temple the pillar was erected. And thus in 
the case of the Christian, the name of Jehovah, 
so dear to him on earth, shall be stamped on his 
forehead in heaven : " Ye shall see his face, and 
his name shall be on your foreheads." In this 
world, it is possible that the sincere Christian 
should be perplexed, either by his own doubts 
of acceptance with God, or by the doubts and 
insinuations of others; but, in heaven, his ac- 
ceptance and adoption will be no longer a dis- 
putable point. He shall be recognised by Him 
who has stamped him with his own name. He 
shall be owned also by myriads of happy spirits, 
who, beholding that sacred name, shall at once 
hail him as their brother, and associate in all the 
occupations and joys of the region of light, and 
life, and glory. 

4. Again : it is said of the triumphant Chris- 
tian, " I will write on him the name of the city of 
my God, which is JYew Jerusalem, which cometh down 
out of heaven from my God.''"' — As it was usual to 
write on these pillars of triumph the name of the 
city of the conqueror; so on the pillars erected 
m heaven shall be engraved the name of that op- 



THE christian's FINAL TRIUMPH. 361 

lestial city which afterwards descended in vision 
before St. John, or which is here called *' the 
New Jerusalem, which came down out of hea- 
ven from God." Even here, in this state of be- 
ing, mj brethren, it is " the city not made with 
hands" the Christian seeks : '^ we have here no 
continuing city ; but we seek one to come," — 
** the city that hath foundations, whose builder 
and maker is God." And to that city he shall 
be exalted in heaven. Lift up your eyes, ye 
dejected children of God, and behold for a mo- 
ment your future habitation, as it is displayed in 
the glowing picture of one who was permitted to 
gaze upon it. Behold " its walls of jasper" and 
its " foundations of precious stones ;" " the glory 
of the Lord to lighten it, and the Lamb to be the 
light thereof;" its " river of life ;" its *^ tree, 
whose leaves are for the healing of the nations." 
Behold it without any " curse," or " night," or 
« sorrow," or " crying," or " death." The life 
of this world, says the Apostle to true ser- 
Tants of the Redeemer, " is not your life, for 
your life is hid with Christ in God." In like 
manner it may be said to the true Christian, 
The heritage of this world is not your heritage ; 
you are born to a loftier destiny, you are citi- 
zens of a heavenly country : you are sent among 
us for a time, to take a transient view of our pris- 
on-house to benefit us, and to learn more effec- 
tually yourselves, by contrast, the superiority of 
the world to come. The language of your Lord 
is, " In my Father's house are many mansions : 
I go to prepare a place for you." And O what 
motives for patience, and gratitude, and love, 
does such a promise supply ! What is it, my 
Christian brethren, to be straitened for a time 
2Z 



362 SERMON xxni. 

bj the narrowness of our mansion on earth, if 
such is the habitation prepared for us in hea- 
ven ? Wait but a little moment, and, though it 
shall not be granted to you, as to St. John, to 
see in the flesh the descending vision of the 
" heavenly city," it shall be granted to you to 
behold it in still more favourable circumstances. 
He saw it indeed; but it was in a trance, and but 
for a moment ; and he awoke to find himself a 
prisoner in the flesh, and an exile in Patmos. 
But in your case, sight will be possession. You 
shall behold the city of God, to lose sight of it no 
more; you shall see it, to be welcomed as its 
citizen and its inhabitant for ever. You shall 
no sooner plant your foot in its golden streets, 
than your exile shall either be remembered no 
longer, or remembered merely to enhance the 
joys of deliverance. Your chains shall drop 
from you, and you shall walk abroad in all the. 
*• glorious liberty of the children of God." 

5. But it is added, finally, " I will write upon 
him my mw JVcwie.'^^ — In other words, the same 
Divine hand will stamp upon the triumphant 
servant of the cross the ''new name''' by which God 
hath last revealed himself to his creatures ; that 
is, the name of Jesus — the Messiah — the Anoint- 
ed One — ^" the Lord our Righteousness" — or, as 
he is called in that magnificent description of 
the Son of God in the nineteenth chapter of this 
book, the " King of kings, and Lord of lords." 
Yes, my Christian brethren, as it was customary 
to engrave on the pillar of worldly triumph the 
name of the leader under whom the soldier 
fought and conquered ; so the Captain of your 
salvation, your Guide through all the intricacies 
of this valley of tears, your Leader in the great 



THE christian's FINAL TRIUMPH. 363 

conflict against the corruptions of the heart, the 
vanitj of the world, and the assaults of the 
powers of darkness, shall stamp his own name 
on your forehead, and designate you as his chil- 
dren for ever. The Name which has been your 
" strength and your joy" upon earth, shall be 
your shield and your glory for ever. And should 
the same spirit who communicated with St. John 
in that world of light, be asked by some new 
apostle, admitted, like his predecessor, to catch 
a glimpse of the glories to be revealed, " Who 
are these stamped with the name of the Redeem- 
er?" he shall once more reply, "These are they 
who have washed their robes and made them 
white in the blood of the Lamb : therefore are 
they before the Throne of God, and serve Him 
day and night in his temple ; and he that sitteth 
on the throne shall dwell among them: they 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; 
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat : 
for the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, 
shall lead them unto living fountains of water, 
and God shall wipe away all tears from th' 
eyes." 

I could almost wish, my brethren, that 
should separate with these songs of an^;< is 
sounding in our ears, and occupying, with, i 
any competition, every recess of the soul. B?; 
perhaps my duty would be ill discharged on tue 
present occasion, if no endeavour were made in 
conclusion, to touch upon the influence which 
the contemplation of this world of glory ought 
to exercise upon the temper and conduct. 

L In the first place, if the promises made to 
the church of God are thus lofty and valuable, 
let us beware of rashly laying chim to them. — Carry 



364 SERMON XXIIl. 

this conviction, my brethren, habitually along 
with you, that if heaven is the world where 
these promises are to be enjoyed, this is the 
world where a title to them is to be obtained. 
If that is the region of triumph, this is the field 
of conflict. If pardon is to be gained through 
the blood and intercession of the Redeemer, it is 
to be gained here. If the heart is to be trans- 
formed, the temper to be subdued, and the 
whole man to be subjugated to the will of God, 
the change must be accomplished here. There 
is no intermediate world, no border country, 
measured out by the hand of the great Judge, 
in which you may shake off the corruption of the 
flesh, and clothe yourself in the vesture of righ- 
teousness. Here it is that you must shed the 
tears of penitence, offer the prayer of faith, wash 
your sins in the blood of atonement, and acquire 
the tastes, the habits, the qualifications which 
are to fit you for the kingdom of God. But if 
this be true, what apology is to be found for the 
lives of thousands in society? Why this delay 
— this consumption of time on the follies and 
Tices of life — this lingering upon doubtful ground 
— this incorporation with the world — this drow- 
siness in prayer, in the reading of the Scrip- 
tures, and in the use of every means of grace ? 
"Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the 
dead, that Christ may give thee light." 

2. But, finally, I would address myself to those 
who, after long and serious inquiry, venture to 
hope that the glorious promises of the text are 
made to themselves. 

• And let me begin by reminding such persons 
to whom the glory of their escape altogether be- 
longs. May your hearts be filled with grati- 



THE christian's FINAL TRIUMPH. 365 

lude, and your lips with praise ! Let your lan- 
guage be, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us ; 
but unto thy name be the praise." 

Let me next beg you to remember, as one 
of the strongest motives to vigilance and prayer, 
that the happiness of heaven will be measured 
by a capacity for that happiness — that (I speak 
it with reverence) the Great Father of the uni- 
verse is therefore the happiest of all beings, be- 
cause he is the holiest : and that, consequently, a 
low state of religious attainment constitutes in 
itself a bar of exclusion from the enjoyments of 
the kingdom of God. 

And, finally, 1 would entreat you to call lo 
mind, what^ as the expectants of thi« bright re- 
version, and inheritors of these glorious promises. 
may be expected of you. Is such a ^' maufiiouL 
with all its seats of joy and triumph, prepared 
for you ? Then why these looks an J accents of 
disquietude amidst the petty cares and distrac- 
tions of life ? why this feverish thirst for worldly 
distinctions ? why this covetous grasp after 
worldly interests? why this nowardl} and shame« 
faced profession ot the religion of the Cross ? 
All this " savours not of God," but of man — -not 
of" the city which hath foundations," but of this 
poor, fugitive, sordid, fallen worhh You lay 
claim to the promises of God : let us see that 
they are not wasted or dishonoured in your 
hands. You proclaim yourselves children of 
God : let it be felt that you are " crucified to the 
world, and the world unto you." Oppose to ihkz 
seductions of sense, to the follies of life, to those 
withering chaplets which alone th( world can 
bind around your brows, the present delights of 
faith, and hope, and communion with God, imh] 



366 SERMON XXIII. 

holy obedience to his will, and the future glories 
and triumphs of the assembly of the redeemed. 
Already are many " pillars" erected in the 
" temple of our God." Already does it resound 
with the Hallelujahs of the blest. Remember 
your high and solemn vocation. " If you are 
risen with Christ, seek those things which are 
above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of 
God :" " Let your conversation be in heaven, 
from whence also we look for the Saviour, the 
Lord Jesus Christ." 

And now, brethren, I would finally say to you, 
in the words of an Apostle to those he dearly 
loved, "Farewell: be perfect, be of good com- 
fort, be of one mind, live in peace ; and the God 
of love and peace shall be with you." 



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